Stranded
by Serenity - formerly sb1
Summary: Dick and Kory are trapped together on a desert island, but they can't stand each other. So they have to deal with each other's company in the hopes that they'll be rescued, but as they spend more time together, being rescued doesn't seem like an issue...
1. First there was Kory

**Here's something I came up with while I was...well, bored. As for my other story, well, Prey of Storm is currently suffering from writer's block and laziness. Maybe a few motivational reviews might kick me back into updating that, of course that depends on how bad you want to find out what happens next. **

**As I recall, Kory's mom's death was no accident so now her and Dickie boy (Richard) are investigating as to who killed her, and Bruce just told Kory he had a little som'un som'un with Kory's mom. But you don't wanna find out what's going to happen next, right? It's not like any of you were really attached to that story...**

**Anyway, enjoy Stranded. By the way, credit for helping me with this one goes to Lavender Gaia. Thanks LG.**

* * *

**Stranded**

**Chapter 1: First there was Kory…**

Do you believe in fate? Do you believe that when the most unlikely circumstances befall you, it could change your life completely? These were some of the questions that dealt with the lives of two people, brought up in an upper class lifestyle, where no one was encouraged to follow their dreams and wishes. Their lives were already foretold for them, everything by the rules, everything according to plan, but rules tend to bend, and even sometimes break when destiny comes in to play…

* * *

A young girl of nineteen with red hair and green eyes sat at the table dining with her family. She was absentmindedly playing about with her carrots while watching out the windows of the cruise ship as they sailed over the calm waters of the Pacific. 

"Kory," her mother spoke. "Sit up straight. You're slouching, and if you're not going to eat your food I suggest you stop playing with it."

The red head sighed feeling fed up. She took her napkin off her lap and stood up. "May I be excused?"

Her parents looked at her oddly after at first exchanging glances, but then permitted her to leave. Her younger brother Ryan who was almost seventeen didn't notice his sister's behavior as he was sending looks at the brunette who had been eying him from across her table. He was already anxious to get this meal over with so he could go and talk to her. If only he could get away from his parents. His father could be really embarrassing at times, even if he was a well known Ambassador; he didn't want him telling girls about how he was when he was a kid. He just needed some kind of excuse...

"Ryan, do you not feel well either? You're hardly eating. Would you like to go lie down?"

"Lie down? Me? Oh wait...actually, I think I do need to go and...er...lie down. Yeah, I'll just leave."

And quick as a flash he was gone, but not before winking to the brunette as he left.

* * *

Kory leaned over the deck rails of the huge ship. It was her father's idea to take this cruise. Why he brought his family along she would never know. It wasn't like he was going to spend any time with them when he had all his business associates to talk to. Her father, Myan Anders, was the Ambassador for the United States. He was a good man, a good husband, and a good father when work wasn't butting in. He was proud of his three children; Karen, Kory, and Ryan. Karen had decided to stay behind and let her parents take her other siblings while she took the rare opportunity of being left alone. At first her father didn't agree, but she had her ways of persuasion: she could always get what she wanted. 

As Kory Anders gazed at the ocean she pondered over the past and forthcoming events in her life. Well first there was that scandal about her and the Mayor of Gotham's son in a secret love affair. She had to make an appearance at a Fashion Show and the Mayor's son, Scott, just happened to be there. They spoke rarely; she couldn't see herself with someone like him anyway, not her type. It was when she was leaving and heading towards her ride, telling her bodyguard she was right behind him when Scott called out to her. She let him catch up to her, seeing that he had a bouquet of flowers in his hand. He told her that the designer asked him to give them to her as a sign of his appreciation for attending the event. She teased him about being able to tear himself away from watching a catwalk full of girls. He bent down to her ear and whispered to her that he didn't really care for these kinds of things; he was only here because his father made him go, for publicity and what not.

Neither of them had known a cameraman was taking pictures of them discreetly from behind the gate. He had caught the pose where Scott was whispering in Kory's ear just above the flowers, but the picture made it look deceiving to anyone who saw it. The next day Kory's father saw his daughter on the front page allegedly receiving flowers and getting kissed by the Mayor's son. He wasn't too pleased, even when Kory tried to explain; the photo _did_ look convincing. Eventually Myan had done some damage control, clarifying that the rumors weren't true and nothing happened.

She was glad she didn't have to deal with that anymore. So now she could move ahead and look forward to…getting married…to a man she had never met. Okay, so she couldn't look forward to it; she loathed it. Her father had set her up with someone rich and of equal class to them…and that's it, that's all she knew about him, not even his name. But then he was always too busy to sit down and talk to her about these things, her mother knew even less than she did. Kory figured this arrangement was all part of a business deal, since when did her life sink so low? Was that all she was to her father now, business? Every time Kory thought about her arranged engagement she felt nauseous and irritated. She wasn't ready for marriage, much less with someone she hadn't seen. What if he was ugly? What if he belched in public and didn't care who was watching? Her father wouldn't set her up with someone like that? Right...right?

She had to think about something else. She'd give anything to be at home studying for an exam right now. She was currently majoring in Business and Public Relations. Ryan only had Public Relations, but Myan wanted him to get a more hands on training with the business, so he often had him accompanied on his business ventures.

Kory was so sick of her life, with people always expecting something of her. She was supposed to stick with her own social class, only engage in the kinds of things they were doing. She had friends…well, if that's what you call stuck up, plastic, snobby, two faced people as friends. Who was she kidding, she longed for real friends, people who genuinely cared about what you think and not judge you for being spontaneous. If only….she gave an exasperated sigh and wondered if it was always going to be like this. Maybe…then again, maybe not.


	2. Then there was Dick

**Stranded**

**Chapter 2: Then there was Dick…**

A wealthy group of people were huddled together, conversing about the same old things. Business, it was always business. Talking about ways of trying to become the wealthiest, like nothing else existed. Casually, one of them dispersed from the crowd and was making for their exit when…

"Dick."

Turning around, he cursed inwardly. "Yes?"

"Where are you going? I thought being on a ship would be a nice change for you to meet with these associates, as opposed to the stuffy, over-furnished rooms that seem to close in on you, as you had so eloquently put it the other day."

"I just need to be alone Bruce, is that okay, or do I need a written request?"

He didn't stick around for an answer, and headed straight to the stairs, through a door and onto the deck, catching the wind as it blew on his face.

* * *

He still had his glass of champagne with him, twirling the liquid around watching it swirl. He shut his eyes trying to drown out his current thoughts: Dick Grayson, ebony-haired and blue-eyed ward of Bruce Wayne, who happened to be a billionaire owning a prestigious company called Wayne Enterprises. Training his adopted son, Bruce wanted him to know everything he knew so that when the time came, Dick would be ready to take over. 

Dick had been taken in by Bruce when he was just eight, after his parents had perished in a freak accident. Dick never cared much for wealth. Not that he didn't appreciate it, it had its perks, but he wanted something more out of life rather than go through the same routine like clockwork. He had a couple of close friends, a mechanic by the name of Victor, and a vet whose name was Garfield. When Dick wanted to escape his sometimes overbearing father, he would call up his best buds and hang out with them at the bar.

Then there were his on and off flings. No one could deny his looks; he was gorgeous. He had no trouble finding a date anytime he needed to. He had enjoyed the dating life in the beginning, but got tired of the same thing. He would never forget his last one, what a disaster that turned out to be. Well, he had Bruce to thank for that, making a deal with a business associate so that Dick ended up with the worst date possible: Kitten Moth. There was only one word for her, and everyone knew it. It just wasn't the type of word to utter so freely.

Dick had studied business and courses of interest to Wayne Enterprises, and was doing pretty well, making his father proud at least. Sometimes he got bored of being in the public eye, always having to put up an act; he was so tired of that. Why couldn't he just be himself? He knew why: because Bruce wouldn't approve. He could just imagine him now, that look he gets when he finds out something he doesn't like. He seemed to have reserved a special look for Dick, one that sent slight chills down his back and even made the hairs on his neck stand up. Sometimes he would seem so dark, like his life was consumed by it…What was he doing? Trying to understand Bruce was like trying to solve a riddle, and he hated riddles.

He tossed the rest of his drink in the ocean and decided on walking around the deck just thinking. When Bruce first told him about this trip on a cruise line, he had to admit the idea kind of caught him by surprise. Still, at least he'd be able to get away from Kitten's constant hounding, which was driving him nuts. He dreaded her calls and that annoyingly high off-key voice. He was so used to being around the same kind of people he doubted there was anyone who could just be...different, someone unique, someone…

"OOF!"

He found himself on the floor looking into emerald green eyes...


	3. And when the two collided

**Okay, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, and a bunch of more sorrys for keeping you all with this update. I had been waiting for my editor to work her magic on this chapter but she got too busy, so I'm taking the risk of putting this up and hoping it will be as good as the other two chapters. Thanks to EACH and EVERY person that reviewed, even to those who only read it without reviewing, I'm glad you're all liking this. So, here's what you've all been waiting for, Chapter 3.**

**Enjoy.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 3:** **And when the two collided…**

A heavy yawn passed on Kory's lips. When was the last time she had a proper night's sleep? It felt like weeks. She decided on heading back to her cabin to sleep off her tiredness, at least before duty calls for the "Ambassador's Daughter." As she walked the deck she took out her compact mirror to check the bags under her eyes.

_"I definitely need some shut eye."  
_

She was so focused in thought she was too late to notice before she collided into someone, as they both had turned the corner at the same time. She fell hard on her buttocks and didn't appreciate the pain she was getting from her fall.

"Why don't you look where you're going?" she snapped.

The stranger stared at her fallen form intently at first, then scowled. "_Me?_ Obviously _you _must've been staring into that mirror of yours because if you hadn't, we wouldn't have ended up on the floor. You're too vain to watch your step." The stranger turned out to be Dick, who was irritated enough as it was, and he wasn't in the mood to play an act, even for a beautiful woman. Meanwhile Kory was fuming at his harshness.

"_Excuse _me? Who are you to call me vain, Mr-I'm-wearing-Armani? And it's not like it's a crime for one to look in the mirror. I'm sure you do it A LOT."

"At least I don't carry one around with me everywhere I go."

"No. You carry a bottle of gel everywhere you go. There's so much in your hair right now I can see it dripping off." She stood up using the rails of the ship for support and brushed herself down, fixing her hair and making sure she didn't look like she just had a tumble. "Well, as much I like wasting time talking to buffoons, I have to go."

"Then go, don't let me stop you," he scoffed at her, motioning with his hands mockingly to show her the way. She glared dangerously at him and muttered something that only he could hear before walking off, "Everyone's a snob on this ship."

* * *

Her head hurt. Where was Ryan with that medicine, she asked for it twenty minutes ago. Kory's parents were off somewhere doing God knows what, she really didn't care, while she herself was lying down in the suite she shared with Ryan. Where the hell was he? Of course, he probably met some bimbo on the way, trying to get her phone number or a date…or both. He used to be so innocent before, now it's hard to believe he's acting like some kind of playboy. He won't even listen to her anymore, it's not like she bossed him around as much as her older sister did anyway. She heard the door opening and sure enough it was Ryan, with lipstick on his cheek. Kory rolled her eyes. 

"Have fun while getting my medicine, Ryan?"

"Dammit! I knew I forgot something."

Kory's eyes widened at him in horror. "What? You mean to say you forgot?!"

"Nah, just kidding, here's your medicine," he said tossing her the bottle of pills. It nearly hit Kory but she caught it just in time.

"I swear Ryan one of these days I'll..."

"You'll what, huh? Come on, face it, you love me too much to wanna hurt me."

It was true, Kory had always been fond of Ryan, she had looked after him when he was younger, and the two were closer than they were with their older sister, Karen. They had watched each other's backs and kept a close bond, no matter what they went through. Kory only wished that he hadn't changed the way he did, the old Ryan she remembered was more decent, more down to earth, more…innocent. She would never understand why he changed.

Ryan handed her a glass of water to take with her pills. "You gonna be alright?"

"I will be," she said lying back down after washing down the pills.

"Good, coz I'm off."

"Off? Where are you going?" she asked curiously.

"Angelina's waiting for me," he replied grabbing his blazer from the chair.

"Angelina?" She questioned, arching an eyebrow.

"Yeah, she was watching me in the dining hall at lunch, and man, was she hot? I think she's from Italy. Do you think she'd like those nachos they have here, because if I ask her out I need to treat her to something good…but what if she's allergic or something? That will be a real screw up and she'll probably never want to see me again and…"

Kory blocked out the rest of his rambling and shook her head disapprovingly. She could tell her brother was asking for trouble, she could see it a mile away, but then again he hardly listened to her anymore, so why should she care?

After hearing Ryan leave closing the door behind him Kory decided to take the opportunity to rest her eyes in the hopes that it will do her head some good. She glanced at her watch after a few minutes and saw that it was 3:15 pm. It made her remember that tonight was going to be that big dinner she'd been hearing so much about, and no doubt her father _and_ his family were expected to make an appearance. Kory was already trying to think of some excuse not to go, but if she knew her mother she would already have an outfit in mind for Kory to wear, including the jewelry to go with it. She didn't appreciate being paraded around like she was some kind of float, exposed to the judgmental opinions of those stuck up women, and attracting the attention of those chauvinistic men. It was no use, her parents were going to make her go whether she liked it or not. She may as well face facts and just deal with it.

* * *

"What happened Dick, you seem more upset than when I saw you last?" Bruce questioned his ward as he passed him by. 

"It was...nothing. Just nothing," he replied heading down the long hallway to his own suite. He wanted to say that he was knocked down by a self-centered brat of a girl, but he decided against that, thinking it would serve him no pity from his billionaire father.

"Alright, but don't forget..." Bruce called out to him, "There's that dinner tonight and I want to see you in the Banquet Hall at seven pm sharp."

Dick groaned. _"Aw man, why does that have to be tonight?"_

"Dick?" Bruce asked still awaiting his reply.

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry, I'll be there," he said, and continued walk, turning a few corners here and there until finally reaching his room. These were the kind of times that made him want to call up Vic and Gar and invite them out to the bar, but as he was trapped on a ship that option was clearly unavailable. As he entered his suite he couldn't help wondering what they were doing now.

It was Saturday afternoon so Gar would be just getting home from his clinic; he probably stopped at the video store on the way back to rent that new horror movie that was just released on DVD. Gar wasn't really one for the theatre, though he didn't mind going with his friends. He really preferred to sit at home with his microwave bowl of popcorn and just enjoy the movie, whether by himself or with company.

And then there was Vic. Dick knew how obsessed Vic could get with his car, he'd most likely still be working on it right now. Nothing could tear him away from that thing, adding on more upgrades, tuning this, fixing that and who knows what else. He needed a girlfriend, Dick and Gar both knew it. They even tried to set him up once or twice with who they thought were Gotham's cream of the crop, but that only resulted in a fuming Vic threatening Gar and Dick that if they ever want to live to see the light of day, they had better quit playing matchmaker for him. It was discovered later on that Vic's last date had thrown up…in his car, and then expected _him_ to pay for her dry cleaning because she claimed that _he_ was the one driving recklessly to begin with, causing her little mishap. The date before that one wasn't much better either, as she called his car a heap of junk.

Dick sighed while sitting in the chair by the window. He had to admit, if he didn't have those two clowns to remind him of reality he'd probably go insane. He knew one thing; he was far away from anyone who was even close to as normal as they were.

* * *

Later that evening Myan and his wife, Lou-Anne Anders were getting ready to leave their room for the special dinner that had been planned that night in the Banquet Hall. Kory and Ryan were there with them, watching as their mother was rummaging through her purse, while their father was brushing off his suit one last time. They had shown up just recently after their parents had requested to see them to explain a few things before the big night. 

"Now Kory, your father and I are going a little early but I want you and your brother to be there on time. Is that understood?"

Kory nodded with a weak smile.

"And Ryan," Myan continued, "I don't want you wandering off this time, there are going to be a lot of important people there and they're going to want to meet you."

"Yes Dad," Ryan replied, a hint of annoyance in his voice. Myan would've given his son a glare but his wife was holding his gaze steady towards her while she was fixing his tie.

"Now Kory," her mother began, "I've left that dress in the closet in your room for you to wear. You remember right? It's the one your aunt Phoebe had gotten you. I had it adjusted a little."

"But Mom…" Kory protested.

"And you see that box over there?" Her mother motioned with her eyes to the dresser where Kory saw a black square looking thing. "I want you to put that on with it."

Kory went over to the box and opened it to see a sparkling jeweled diamond necklace with matching ear rings. She grimaced at the sight. It wasn't that she didn't like the set, it was just she knew it was going to make her a pest magnet. She wasn't looking forward to the attention she would be getting, as if these people really cared. She'd been through it all before, they would be drawn to her for reasons she didn't care to understand, put on a fake act of admiration for her and how they think she is to die for, and the minute she leaves she knew they would be picking out her flaws, making snide comments behind her back. That's all they did, her sister had told her about it. Karen knew more about what these people were like; she hated being around them as much as Kory did.

Kory inwardly cursed her sister for squirming her way out of this one, she was probably out to some party at one of her friend's place right now, either that or she was at a night club somewhere. Kory then noticed she still had the box in her hand.

"Mom! Do I have to wear this? Can't I just put on some light jewelry instead?"

"Nonsense! You're the Ambassador's Daughter, the least you could do is look presentable."

"But I..."

"End of discussion Kory. Now hurry up and get dressed. I don't want you two being late, understood?"

"Yes Mom," replied Ryan and Kory unenthusiastically as they left their parent's room to go to theirs.

As Kory was exiting after Ryan she paused in the doorway to look back at her parents. They were completely engrossed in their own preparations; her mother was dashing around the room frantically, getting this and that, her father was checking to see if the Rolex watch still looked good as new as when he had received it as a gift from the President of France. A silent sigh escaped her lips, and Kory wondered if this was how they would continue to live through their lives, without so much as noticing how their own children felt, no heart to heart discussions, no real support, and no time. An Ambassador and his family have a duty to the people, to stand as good role models, that was how it always was, how it always had been, but that wasn't how Kory wanted it to stay.

* * *

The huge Banquet Hall was designed especially for this occasion. In the first hour most of the guests were already there, it seemed that they were all excited for this night to begin, hence arriving early. There were a few mere minutes left till seven o'clock and Dick had just left his suite and was stumbling through the hallways to get to the dinner on time. 

"Bruce is going to kill me if I'm not there," he said to himself.

He ran all the way, not caring who stared or what they thought. Finally he spotted the double doors to the Banquet Hall where two people in uniform were opening them for a couple to enter. He stopped just a few feet to fix his disheveled hair and suit from all the running he did, then taking one deep breath, he entered through the doors held open for him and made his way inside into the bustling crowds of people.

* * *

"Come on Kory, hurry up," Ryan yelled as he waited outside their suite. 

"Alright, alright, I'm just putting on my shoes," she yelled back.

Ryan paced slowly back and forth wondering when his sister would be done, then suddenly, the door opened and Kory emerged in a beautiful green dress.

"I feel like a Christmas Tree," she droned, fingering the jewelry her mother made her wear.

"At least you don't have to wear this bow tie. Look at me, I'm going to be a laughing stock."

"At least you can breath, this corset is killing me. Mom made it so tight before she left."

"Alright come on, Angelina's going to be thinking I ditched her."

"Oh yeah, we wouldn't want to be late for Angelina." she teased.

"Shut up and let's just go."

They trudged on towards the hall where they could hear the party had already started. The entrance was in sight.

"Don't stand so close," Kory said, pushing Ryan away, "People will think…you know…that we're together."

They stood at the entrance and the footmen opened the doors for them. As soon as they went inside they immediately parted and went their own separate ways.

* * *

"I see you've made it then," Bruce said, appearing beside Dick. 

Dick glanced back at him with his champagne in his hand. "Yep. So how long have you been here?"

"A while," he said eying some of the guests. "There were some people I wanted to talk to."

"Business…or business?"

"We can't always have fun Dick. There's a time and place for everything, but not here, and not now."

Dick rolled his eyes making sure Bruce didn't see, apparently he had spotted someone else who waved a hand motioning him to come over. "Well I hate to leave you all alone Dick but…"

"Let me guess, you've got more business to attend to."

Bruce gave him a slight smile and walked away, leaving his ward to do…well, whatever he wanted.

* * *

Kory had just managed to escape the group of women who flocked over to her; they admired her like they always did, pretending to be impressed, commenting on her appearance. What a joke. Did they really expect her to buy into their crap? She had to get away, she needed something, and that something happened to pass her by on a silver tray. She quickly grabbed the champagne before it was out of reach, and took a large gulp. 

"_Now this is better,"_ she thought standing against the table at the end of the hall.

She could see Ryan sitting at a table talking to a girl; she assumed that was the Angelina he had been referring to. Her parents were doing what they always did, talking, mingling, laughing away. Kory took another sip of her drink, before taking another from the waiter, and then another. She got the feeling there was someone standing a few feet from her, probably gawking at her intently, but at that point she really couldn't care.

* * *

Dick wandered around the hall, bumping into people who gave him a quick hello before continuing their conversations with someone else. He was already bored out of his mind. It wasn't until then when he noticed a girl standing alone drinking her champagne that engrossed his attention; he wouldn't have thought anything of her if he hadn't seen the number of empty wine glasses by her side as she put down another one, and taking one more from the trays that came by. She was looking to get drunk; and this might be the only interesting thing he was going to see all night. 

He wandered closer, careful not to alert her to his presence and just stood a small distance away watching her. As he saw her he realized she was the same girl that he bumped into earlier that day. He wondered why she wasn't among the crowds enjoying herself, instead of looking just as fed up as he did. He watched on as she seemed to sway a little but kept her balance on the table. After steadying herself she began to walk away. Where she was going he had no idea, until Dick realized she was heading to leave…

* * *

Kory found her way onto the deck of the ship, she needed some fresh air. The sea was calm as the ship glided across the waters, the moon full as the stars shone brightly in the night sky. She rested her back against the rails taking small sips of the drink she brought with her. The she heard a sound…

* * *

He followed her to the deck, watching her stumble every now and again. Even though she was drunk she still looked beautiful in the moonlit sky, letting the wind caress her face. He continued to stare as she took off the jewelry she was wearing and put them inside her purse, setting it down on the ground beside her. He slowly got closer to her, but as it was dark something made him trip and he fell against a deck chair. 

"Whose there?" he heard her call out.

Dick quickly jumped up and emerged into view. She stared at his face for a moment with a cold look, then turned around to face the ocean. She didn't know who he was, nor did she care, she just couldn't care less for seeing anyone right now. "I'm here to have a _private _moment, so if you don't mind..."

Dick said nothing, nor did he move, only continued to stare. Kory glanced back after a while and was already getting more annoyed.

"Shouldn't you _be _somewhere?"

"Yeah, but I got bored, so I thought watching you get drunk will be the only entertainment I'll get tonight."

"Well you can…" That was all Kory could say as she swayed some more and was beginning to look like she was going to collapse. Dick leapt forward and caught her just in time, but instead she wriggled out of his grasp like an irritated child.

"Would you get away from me? God!" she said pushing him.

"Well excuse me for helping," Dick said sounding irritated.

"Who said help? Did I say help? And for your information I can handle my own."

But Dick noticed her swaying again. "I better get you a chair, hold on to the rail okay?" he said placing her hands firmly on the ship's rail guards.

He went off to get the deck chair he tripped over but when he turned around, he saw that Kory had climbed on to the ship's rails and was holding her arms out shouting, "Look, I can fly. Weeee."

Dick's heart rate quickened. "Hey you!" he shouted. "Get down from there, you're going to fall!"

"I won't fall," she said, giggling, "I can fly."

"Look, seriously! Don't move!"

"You can't tell me what to do. Now let me just..." The ship made a sharp jerk making Kory lose her balance and fall into the water.

"No!" Dick couldn't believe what just happened. It was panic time.

* * *

"Have you seen Kory?" Myan asked Lou-Anne as he pulled her aside from her group of friends. "I can't find her anywhere." 

"Why no, I haven't. Why?"

"I wanted to announce the engagement and I can't do that if she's not here."

"Well perhaps Ryan knows where she is. Look, I see him over there."

Myan spotted Ryan talking to a girl, (the same girl Kory had seen him with) and strode over to where he was sitting, followed by Lou-Anne.

"Ryan."

Ryan turned around, startled. "Dad, can't you see I'm busy?" he said, trying to hint with his eyes to the girl beside him.

"Where's your sister?" he said, focused on the issue at hand.

"Who, Kory? She should be around here somewhere," he said, showing hardly any concern.

"Ryan, this is important," his mother urged. "Now answer your father."

"I last saw her standing over there at that table, I think." His parents' gaze followed Ryan's finger towards where he was pointing to.

"Did she tell you she was leaving?"

"No, Dad. As I remember she wanted to stay as far away from me as possible."

Myan was getting annoyed. "If she's not here then where is she?"

"She may have gone back to her room," Lou-Anne suggested.

"Or maybe she's with a guy and they're both _alone_ somewhere." Ryan's comment, though humorous, only earned himself stern glares from his parents.

"I'm getting worried," Lou-Anne said, "It's not like her to disappear like this, not without telling us. I've got a bad feeling something isn't right."

"Come on mom," Ryan said, "How much trouble could she possibly get into?"

* * *

Dick was frantically putting on his life jacket, he had to hurry, something inside him screamed at him not to let her drown. He grabbed a second life jacket and dived into the water, Kory had submerged just as he jumped in but he went under and pulled her up before she could swallow too much water. 

"Would you hold still?" he said trying to put the jacket on her.

"Who are you?" she said dazedly. "You're cute."

Dick rolled his eyes. "Can you swim?"

_"Stupid question! How can she swim when she's drunk?"_

They both bobbed up and down in the water, Kory with her arms loosely around his neck while Dick thinking of a way to get themselves out of their predicament. Suddenly he realized the ship was getting further away from them.

"Hey! Stop! We need help here!"

But it seemed no one had heard him, and the ship showed no sign of stopping as it sailed further and further away...

* * *

**So there you have it. Hope you like it.**

* * *


	4. Destiny played to make them stick

**So here it is, the next update. Apologies for taking long and all that, blah, blah, blah. Thanks for your all your past reviews.**

* * *

**Chapter 4:**** Destiny played to make them stick**

"Who are you talking to?" said a giggling yet still drunk Kory.

Dick glared, annoyed that she couldn't grasp the seriousness of the situation, yet somewhat relieved that she wasn't screaming her lungs out in panic.

_"Well at least she's taking this better than I am," _he thought.

Dick watched on as their ship sailed away, the fast current it created was pushing them further, so catching up to it was going to be difficult, even if one of them wasn't drunk. He held on to Kory while they were being swept away, wondering if they will ever get through this in one piece.

* * *

Lou-Anne Anders spotted her husband talking to a couple, probably to keep himself busy, though she could tell he was still anxious watching him constantly button and unbutton his tuxedo. His trademark sign for when he was nervous. She hurriedly approached him and discreetly pulled at his arm so he could excuse himself. 

"Well?" he asked, ushering them both a distance away, "Did you find her?"

Lou-Anne gravely shook her head. "She's wasn't in her suite or in ours. I don't understand, where else could she go? Something must've happened, I know it."

"Alright, let's try to be calm, we can't make a scene here. Now what we can do is..."

"Ambassador Anders, I've been looking for you everywhere. Come on, they're about to start the speeches and you're the first speaker." Myan looked to his wife regrettably as he was swiftly being pulled away by his colleague, not able to tell her anything more.

As Lou-Anne watched on she sighed heavily and said to herself, "Kory, where are you?"

* * *

Kory stirred from her sleep, moaning slightly. She had a splitting headache, worse than the one she had before, and she was too tired to open her eyes. 

"Ryan, what time is it?" her voice croaked out, assuming she was still in her room.

No one answered. Suddenly she felt a chill over her body.

"Ryan!" she said louder, getting annoyed. "Did you leave the window open? It's cold!" She couldn't understand why he would open the window, seeing as he never bothered with things like that…and why her bed was wet?

"Is it just me or am I soaked, and my clothes, and…RYAN! What did you do to my bed?!"

"There's no Ryan here," a calm voice spoke nearby.

Startled, Kory opened her eyes for the first time and realized she wasn't even lying on a mattress, but on sand…wet sand, and the tide had been washing in over her body, that would explain the odd taste she had in her mouth. She observed her surroundings and saw that she wasn't in her room at all, but on a beach. Her gaze then fell on a tall, young looking man standing in front of her. She gasped in shock.

"W-who are you? Where am I? Why am I here?"

The man knelt down to her level and held out his hand to her. "I'm Dick, and you are…?"

"Completely shocked!" she said scurrying away further from him, as if he had a contagious disease. "Why did you…" then she stopped suddenly to study his face. "Wait, I recognize you. You're that person who knocked me over on the deck. What do you want with me? Why did you bring me here? I swear if you touch me…"

"Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you. You got drunk, fell off the ship, I tried to save you, and now we're stranded here on this island."

Kory eyed him as if he were insane. "Drunk? Oh no, no, no, I don't get drunk, and I'm not so clumsy that I would fall off a ship."

"You seemed pretty wasted to me, and you wouldn't have fallen if you hadn't climbed up on the rails."

"You're lying! I would never do anything like that! I think you're the one responsible for this, so it's probably all _your_ fault. Oh wait, I know what this is, you're trying to get me back for bumping into you on the deck, aren't you?"

Dick was getting annoyed, after all he was the one who risked his life for a complete stranger, and she had the nerve to blame him for the situation they were in.

"Now look here! I didn't have to save you, I could've let you drown. If it wasn't for me you wouldn't even be alive, so quit your yapping and shut up!"

This stunned her completely; no one had ever spoken to her in that way before, not even her older sister Karen. Even though they never got along Karen had never yelled to her like that, ever. Slowly she got up and watched him as he turned to walk away.

"By the way," she said hesitantly, "it's Kory, Kory Anders."

Dick stopped in his tracks but didn't turn around. "We'll need to make a fire, gather anything you can find before it gets dark," he said before continuing to walk away.

* * *

_"I wonder if this is enough."_ Kory thought as she picked up some more twigs she found lying around by a palm tree. It was a while since her rescuer, as he claimed to be, had left her alone after yelling at her. 

_"That big bully. Who does he think he is?"_

Having had enough of her little scavenger hunt she trudged on back to the beach, where she already saw some things to burn laid in a pile. She crouched down to put her twigs down on top, muttering to herself, "I swear if I could I'd whack that moron over the head with a baseball bat."

"Really now?"

The sound of that voice made Kory yelp and lose her balance, causing her to fall on her butt. She looked up and saw that Dick was towering over her, smirking. "Don't sneak up on me like that," she scolded.

His smirk never left him. "Why? Coz someone might whack you over the head with a baseball bat?"

"Shut up!"

"Okay, okay, no need to get nasty," he teased, crouching down to her level to gather the twigs that were accidentally scattered by Kory, "Maybe if we look we can find something to eat around here."

Kory glanced around and made a face when she eyed something she wasn't too fond of. "Ugh, all I see is sea weed."

At that moment Dick thought it would be fun to tease her a bit more. "Well it's better than nothing," he said casually.

"You're not serious? That's disgusting!"

"It can't be all that bad, you'd know if you try. Go ahead, I dare you."

"I'll pass."

"What are you, scared?"

"NO!"

"Then what have you got to lose?"

Just then Kory had an idea of her own. "Tell you what, you try it first and if you can prove to me that it tastes good, I'll eat all you want me too. Deal?"

"Okay," he replied confidently as he got up to get some.

"Not so fast buddy, you have to let me feed it to you."

"Wha...?" Dick stopped dead in his tracks. "What do I look like, a baby?"

"Actually, you look more scared to me."

"Scared? Me? No, I don't do scared."

"Then what have you got to lose?" "_Except your ego._"

Not that Dick would've minded being fed, especially by a beautiful girl, but he had other ideas. He wanted to make it look like he was eating it, or at least have a tiny taste then spit it out when Kory wasn't looking. But now he was stuck, he couldn't back out or he would look like an idiot. Seeing as Dick was too stunned to move Kory went to fetch the sea weed herself, and dumped it by his side. She grabbed a handful with an evil look in her eye staring at him.

"Open wide."

Reluctantly he opened his mouth and before he knew it Kory had shoved the whole thing in. Dick's eyes widened as she kept pushing in everything trying not to let anything linger from his mouth.

"Now eat," she ordered with a playful smile.

He glared at her but started to munch slowly on his mouthful while Kory watched amusedly. She could see he was trying to enjoy it with great difficulty but he would never admit that to her. The look on his face made her want to laugh there and then, but she kept her control and watched. A few munches later he stood up.

"See," he said with his mouth still full, "What did I tell ya. Now if you'll excuse me…I better go and make sure we have enough stuff for the night."

Kory turned around to face the beach, a smile plastered on her face. As she gazed out at sea she could hear the sounds of throwing up coming from a distance, and smiled triumphantly laughing quietly to herself.

"Sea weed," she said, rolling her eyes, "Honestly."

A quiet morning embraced the Anders' suite as the Ambassador and his wife slept peacefully dreaming away, that is until a loud knock came from the door.

"You'd better wake up if you want breakfast, I'm too hungry to wait for you, so I'll see you there if you're up."

It was Ryan. Lou-Anne yawned as she sat up in bed. She looked beside her to see Myan shoving the covers off of his face and a little grumpy that he had been woken up in such a manner. Together they climbed out of bed to get ready.

The night before had been a blur to them, they remembered charging Ryan with the duty of continuing the search for Kory, as they were both unable to leave the Banquet Hall due to everyone demanding their presence. They had expected Kory to be found by then. Kory's engagement never did get to be announced, Myan thought it better to wait till she herself was present.

* * *

"Mom, Dad, you made it." Ryan said getting up for his parents. 

"Yes, we did, after your wake up call," said Lou-Anne a little annoyed.

Myan noticed a plateful of a half eaten meal next to Ryan's place. "I see you're not alone for breakfast."

"Yeah, Angelina, you just missed her, she went to the restroom. She won't be long."

The family sat down at the table, but Lou-Anne showed concern as she scanned around the hall. "Um…where's Kory?"

"Got me, I thought she'd already be here, she wasn't there when I woke up."

"You mean you haven't seen her at all this morning?" questioned Myan.

Ryan shook his head and continued to eat his hash browns.

Both parents exchanged looks with each other. "Ryan, you did find Kory last night…didn't you?"

Just then a young girl approached their table and greeted the family. Ryan quickly got up for her. "Mom, Dad, this is Angelina. Angelina, these are my parents."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Anders."

"It's…nice to meet you too dear," replied Lou-Anne, trying to remember her manners through the concern she was currently feeling.

"Um, yes, charmed," said Myan, then turned back to Ryan focusing on the issue at hand, "Now Ryan, please tell me you found Kory last night."

His father's hard stare was making Ryan nervous. "Well, we did search for her…"

"We?" Myan asked impatiently.

"Yeah…me and Angelina."

"Oh yes," Angelina interrupted, "We searched the entire ship for Ryan's sister but we had no luck."

"I thought she'd come back on her own, so…we turned in for the night," Ryan finished.

Lou-Anne gasped. "Then that means…."

"…Kory's still missing." Myan said getting up.

"Where are you going?" Lou-Anne questioned.

"I'm going to find out if anyone's seen her, and if they haven't, then I'm going to talk to the Captain." And with those last words he strode away.

* * *

Kory had taken a walk since the sea-weed incident, it still made her smile thinking of the way Dick looked with that repulsive stuff in his mouth. She hadn't seen him since then, not that she really cared, she could do without being with the likes of people like him, yet he came off as somewhat…different. He wasn't like the men, or boys, who she was showcased for. 

"_So he's different, so what. In the end they all show their true colors."_

All the boys she had seen in the past were a let down, she hadn't known anyone…real.

Dick had been exploring the island trying to find something useful that could help them….or at least make the situation more tolerable. He could already tell Little Miss Uptight wasn't going to be the easiest person to get along with.

"_Then again, she's not like anyone else I've ever met."_

But still, he could do without the attitude. Take that away and she could actually be quite likeable. Maybe he was being too quick to judge on her character, it's not like she asked to be stranded out here. The best thing they could do now was to try and survive. As he picked up some extra sticks he thought he could use he heard a scream, and quickly raced to its source.

The scream belonged to Kory, who was jumping around with her hands on her butt, yelping in pain. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!"

Something had bit or pinched her really hard on her backside, so she was running around back and forth frantically. She was too busy to even notice that Dick had turned up and was trying to ask her what happened, until he grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to look at him.

"Now tell me, what happened?"

Spotting something on the ground she she whimpered in fear, Dick followed her gaze and saw that it was a crab. Quickly, without a moment's thought he grabbed one of the sticks he happened to bring with him and stabbed the crab with one hard poke.

Kory froze. "What did you do that for?!"

"For lunch of course," he replied casually.

"By killing a crab?"

"Hey, a second ago you were scared just by looking at it."

"Doesn't mean I wanted it dead."

"Well, now we have something to eat," he said, holding the stick up observing at it, then glanced over at Kory with a smirk. Kory didn't like that one bit; it told her he was going to try something, something she wouldn't like.

"You know what," Dick said, "I think this little guy wants to say hello." He tried to shove the dead crab in her face and she screamed trying to run away, and Dick couldn't resist chasing after her with it.

"Come on, it can't hurt you, I thought you liked him, you were practically yelling at me for killing him."

"Doesn't mean I want a dead one in my face. Get it away from me!" She kept her distance, watching him very closely.

"Aw, that's not vewy nice. Wook, you hurt its feewings," he teased stroking it.

"Alright, come on crabby, let's go, looks like she doesn't want to be friends," he said pretending to sound upset and walking away, but then, just as Kory relaxed a bit Dick had turned around and grabbed her before she knew what was going on. She was now wrapped in his strong arm struggling to get free.

"Let me go! Let me go!" she cried. She could see the crab being brought closer to her.

"Stop! Why are you doing this?"

"Why?" he mused, bending close, then whispered in her ear, "Payback."

"Payback? For what?"

"For the sea weed," he smirked, abruptly letting her go making her stagger a few steps. "And now we're even." Kory watched him walk away chuckling to himself.

"Oomph! I hate him, I hate him, I hate him!" she huffed walking the opposite direction.

* * *

The fire crackled as it caught the wood, and roasting the crab that was resting on top of the flames in the middle of it. Dick was throwing in more sticks to keep it going, while Kory sat back and observed the whole thing. 

"I think it's almost done," he said poking at the crab.

Kory was silent. She just fiddled with her shoes beside her. Since they had straps they had remained fastened onto her feet ever since she fell off the ship and washed ashore. Dick took the crab and placed it on one of the large leaves he collected from a palm tree, trying to half it, putting Kory's on another leaf. Kory made no move.

"Come on, eat it while it's hot," he told her.

But she didn't do anything. "What's the matter?"

"I'm not hungry."

"Aw, you're not still mad about earlier, are you?"

"…"

"It was just a joke. Come on, don't you have a sense of humor?"

"…"

"You can't starve, you gotta eat something."

"I told you, I'm not eating that crab, now if you don't mind, I wish to take my leave," she got up and made her way towards the palm trees.

Dick sighed, he wished she _would_ eat, but he couldn't force her. As difficult as she was being he didn't want her to go hungry, but why did she have to be so stubborn? He thought he may as well eat her portion too. _"Hey, if she wants food she can find it herself."_

Kory lay there on the bed of leaves she'd gathered up. She missed her home, her parents, Ryan, and even Karen. She wondered if she would ever see them again, and how she would cope without them. Before she knew it dusk was soon settling in and she could see the northern star high above her.

As the hours passed and darkness settled Kory began getting hungry, and frowned at the fact that there may not be anything left to eat. Maybe if she took a walk it would help, she may even find something to stop her being hungry. As she walked along the beach she could see the fire Dick made had burnt out long ago, he was probably asleep by now, after eating that whole crab. She was beginning to wish she _had_ taken up his offer and eaten with him.

"_Maybe he left something I could chew on."_

The clouds had covered the light from the moon so it was too dark to see much. She came to the spot and searched around half heartedly for anything she could find. Then her hands felt something thick and smooth. She examined the object closely, making it out to be a leaf tied around something. She cautiously opened it.

"This looks like…." It was her half of the crab she refused. "He saved it for me?" Kory was touched, her heart felt warm inside. And not far away someone was watching, smiling away as she hungrily ate her meal.

"I knew she'd come back," Dick said to himself as he went back to sleep.

* * *


	5. Though all seems lost

**Another late update...er, sorry? I've been busy, okay? I'll try and write faster. Yes, yes, and post faster too. Okay then, on with the chapter.**

**You'll notice this chapter is more about Kory's family and what things are like on the ship, but I'll give you a fair amount of Kory/Dick in the upcoming chapters, okay? Happy?**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Though hope seems frail**

_A worried Lou-Anne sat waiting outside the Captain's quarters; she could hear the muffled voices inside, turning into slightly raised tones at certain intervals. She stared at the door as if trying to see through what was happening, but then looked back down closing her eyes in grief, until a crew member approached her._

"_Here's your tea ma'am, two sugars with light milk," he said handing her the small saucer with the steaming cup._

"_Thank you," she replied with little enthusiasm, taking it carefully making sure not to drop it. _

"_Will there be anything else for you ma'am?"_

"_No," she sighed, "That will be all…thank you." _

_With a slight bow of his head he left the Ambassador's wife to her thoughts. She felt like she'd been sitting there for hours but it had only been twenty minutes. _

_After Myan had left the dining hall to find out on the whereabouts of their missing daughter, Lou-Anne just couldn't bring herself to eat her breakfast when it had arrived. She propped herself on the table, her hand on her forehead spanning out to her temples shielding her eyes, that is until Ryan spoke._

"_Mom?"_

"_We told you to find her!" She snapped, piercing a hard glare into her son and startling him with her sudden outburst._

"_I-I-I'm sorry. I didn't…" he stuttered, but she gave him no chance to continue as she stood up and departed, leaving a hurt Ryan, alone with a worried Angelina. _

_Lou-Anne assumed her husband would be with the Captain by now, and if not then she'd wait there until he showed up. Indeed she was right upon approaching the Captain's quarters when she heard someone say: "You don't understand, we need to find her, she hasn't been seen since last night," and then the shutting of a door moments later. It was Myan's voice alright. How she wanted to be inside with him, she wanted to know what was going on. She asked a crew member to inform the Ambassador that his wife was here, but he sent a message back telling her to wait outside until they were done._

_So there she was, waiting anxiously for her husband to come out. A soft breeze from an open window glided itself across her cheeks._

"_Maybe I should get some fresh air while I wait," she thought, as she made her way to the deck._

_Myan was pacing up and down impatiently while the Captain was checking some readings on the scanners. They both turned to look when they heard the door open and saw someone standing in the doorway. _

"_Bruce? What brings you here?" Myan questioned._

"_Probably the same reason as you," he replied, "I heard about your daughter, apparently my son has also decided to…disappear."_

_Bruce Wayne and Myan Anders were not only good business associates, they were good friends too. (Well, as good as you can get with Bruce Wayne.) Myan was one of the few people whom he allowed to address him as Bruce, everyone else referred to him as Mr. Wayne. _

_Bruce went to speak with the Captain for a while before getting back to his friend, but not before the sound of the door could be heard again to reveal a crew member standing and holding something which looked like… _

_Lou-Anne was deep in thought when she felt Myan's hand on her back. She turned abruptly to see his solemn face._

"_What? What is it?" the urgency and worry in her voice was heartbreaking for him to break the news._

_He showed her an object he held in his hand making Lou-Anne gasp. "That's…that's Kory's." _

_Myan could see the effect it was having on her just to hold something belonging to their precious daughter. Her eyes began to turn glassy threatening to release her tears._

"_I know, I recognized it from the contents inside," he replied._

"_Where did you find this?"_

"_One of the Captain's crew recovered it, it was on the deck and placed in the Lost and Found."_

"_Mr Ambassador?" The two were interrupted by the Captain's voice, "There's something you should know."_

"_Go on," said Myan. At this point Bruce had shown up, knowing this wasn't going to be easy for them to hear._

"_We have a report of two life jackets missing from the ship…"_

"_Meaning…?" _

_The Captain struggled to convey the news, and Myan was struggling to maintain his patience. "Well, out with it! What have you found out?"_

"_They're not on board the ship," Bruce finished._

_Time froze for the Anders, Lou-Anne went stiff and Myan, Myan was absolutely speechless. No one spoke until the sound of a light thud was heard. _

"_Oh my goodness," was the Captain's response as he saw what had just happened. _

_Myan looked down to his wife on the floor. Lou-Anne had fainted and he couldn't move. Bruce, seeing his friend in the state he was in, went to help as he gently picked up Lou-Anne and took her to the _ _Sick_ _Bay_

* * *

That was twenty four hours ago as Lou-Anne reflected on the events of the previous day. She had come to know that both Kory and Bruce's son Dick, were missing, and not just missing, they weren't even on the ship. She was sitting on Kory's bed holding the hairbrush she would use every morning. Some of her red hair was still trapped between the bristles; carefully she pulled it out and held the strands in her hand, as if it would bring her closer to her lost daughter. 

She was startled when Ryan walked in unexpectedly. Ryan looked nervous, like anything he would say would set his mother off.

"I was just…I…" his mother showed no signs of acknowledging him, but stood and left quietly without a word or even a glance in his direction.

Ryan slumped on his bed. His mother hadn't been the same with him ever since yesterday at breakfast, when she almost yelled at him for not finding Kory. She avoided him when he would try and talk to her always gaving him the cold shoulder, and he hated it. He felt responsible for his sister's absence, and was even at regret wishing he could've tried harder to find her that night. He had just got back from where all the commotion had been, the Captain had been organizing a search party with the staff and discussing plans with the Chief Engineer. Things were really beginning to heat up, and not only that, rumors had been circling around the ship of his sister's disappearance; it was only a matter of time before everyone would know the truth.

He took out the note from his pocket he received from one of the staff members in the lounge, it read:

_**Sorry I couldn't be here, something came up, but meet me at the French Balcony by the bar at 5 pm.**_

_**Yours, Angie.**_

He looked at his watch tiredly. _"Another fifteen minutes to go."_ He seemed to be debating with himself on whether he should go now and wait till she showed up. Whenever he and Angelina arranged a time to meet she was always there before him, while he arrived a few minutes later._ "Aw, being early isn't gonna kill me,"_ he thought as he mustered up enough strength to get up off his bed and slowly make his way out the door.

* * *

Angelina ran a hand back through her hair to get a better view of her surroundings when she arrived at where she had told Ryan to meet, and was surprised to see him already there leaning over the rails. She crept up behind him and slowly wrapped her arms around his torso, leaning into his back. Ryan's only acknowledgment of her presence was a deep sigh as he turned around to meet his eyes with hers. She could see they looked lost and sad, of course she understood perfectly why, and didn't expect him to be his usual animated self. 

"It'll be alright Ryan, we'll find her. We know that she's with someone, right? And she supposedly had a life jacket so I doubt she would have drowned." She consoled him while rubbing his arm affectionately in his loose embrace.

"It's not that…well it is, but…it's also something else…"

"Care to tell?" she asked softly.

He looked away as if he couldn't bring himself to speak of it. "It's…it's my mom. I think she blames me about what happened to Kory."

"Oh Ryan, you know as well as I do that it wasn't your fault. I was there with you, we looked all over the ship and we couldn't find her, and you were getting so tired of searching you could hardly stand. You were about to fall asleep there and then."

"I know but…" He leaned his back against the rails and exhaled deeply, letting his hands slide down Angelina's arms until they were by his own sides. "If you knew her Angie, you'd know why this hurts us so much, why this means so much to us. I think if you'd met her you would really like her…well, lately she's been kinda moody, ever since she found out she was engaged but…"

"She's engaged?"

Quickly Ryan covered his mouth as he realized what he had just done. His father had specifically told him not to let anyone know about that piece of information. It was a business deal Myan liked to keep a secret before anything was confirmed. It was all about timing and if word got out the press would have a field day; they tended to twist facts into something that was completely untrue at times. "Oh my God, please, you can't tell anyone, my dad will kill me if this gets out."

"Relax Ryan, your secret is safe with me. I won't tell, I promise." She placed her hand on his cheek as if to emphasize her word as she let him rest his chin on her shoulder.

"I can't blame my mom for being upset with me, it's hard _not_ to like her. She was the happy one, always so positive about stuff, and mom loved that."

He stopped talking seeing a couple approaching and waited till they passed by until he could speak again. "Me and her were really close, we always had fun together, especially when we were younger, she was always in the mood for a laugh, always so happy…"

Angelina smiled hearing how Ryan spoke of her; it seemed they really were close, and now he felt miserable without her.

"I know you think it's not my fault, and I really want to believe that, but I still feel somewhat…responsible. I feel like I not only let mom, dad, and myself down, but I let Kory down too, and that's why mom probably hates me."

"No mother would hate their child, go talk to her, go tell her that you feel just as bad about what happened."

"How can I if she won't stay in the same room as me for more than thirty seconds?" He said hastily pulling away.

"Your father could help her to listen, he's not mad at you too, is he?"

"No."

"Well there you go then, ask him to help you."

Ryan looked into her reassuring eyes and decided, "Heh, why not?"

* * *

Myan was arriving back from the Captain's deck; the search party for the missing travelers was due to launch soon, but not soon enough for Myan. He was told that they still needed to pin point where they were at the time of their disappearance and that was taking too long for some reason. 

As he came across his suite Ryan happened to be exiting his room that exact same moment and noticed his father.

"Hey dad, did you find out anything up there?"

"Oh, hello there Ryan," he tiredly said as he tried to open his door. "They still need to send out the search team, but I'll be more satisfied once that's underway. I really don't know why it's taking so long."

Ryan noticed there was no one in his parent's suite as he followed Myan in. "Where's mom?"

"Your mother wants to be alone," he replied plainly. Ryan didn't want to imagine what she could be thinking about, he could pretty much guess seeing as most of her hostility had been shot at him.

"Dad…I need to talk to you."

"What is it son?" he asked halfheartedly with his back turned as he poured his brandy.

Ryan propped himself up against a wall with his hands dug deep in his pockets, it was making him nervous talking about something that had been eating away at him like this, and the more nervous he got, the more deeper in his pockets his hands seemed to go. "It's about mom, she's upset with me."

"Whatever for?" He asked, he still hadn't turned around yet.

"About not finding Kory that night, she thinks it's my fault she's gone."

The issue seemed to have caught some of Myan's attention as he turned his head to the side to acknowledge his interest. "And how do you know she thinks that?"

"Whenever I try and talk to her she just…I don't know, ignores me. The other day I asked her about what she found out from you, you know when you first went to see the Captain, and then she fainted and all…" Myan nodded. "Well it was a couple of hours after she woke up and I came here to ask her what happened. She wouldn't even give me a straight answer; she told me to ask you. Dad, she's been like this ever since."

By this time Myan had sat down with his drink but was listening closely to his son. "She's just worried, I mean this whole ordeal is driving us both insane."

"But dad…"

"If you think she's upset with you, then go apologize."

"I want to, I really do, but she won't even stay in the same room as me," Ryan protested as he came to sit opposite his father. He rubbed a hand through his hair in frustration. "You think you could help me out here, get her to at least listen to me?

"Well," Myan said, taking a sip, "I suppose I could reason with her."

Upon hearing this Ryan eye's lit up. "Really?"

"All I can do is try Ryan, but you had better make sure you have something worthy to say."

"Thanks dad, you know I will." And with these last words he left the room with a little more hope than he'd started out with.

* * *

**So there it is. Hope you had a nice read.**


	6. As time goes by

**Hello all. Okay, I hope this chapter feeds your thirst for this story. Thank you for all the reviews, I'll make time to reply to them. Have fun reading this one.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: As time goes by**

Waves gently rolled onto the quiet shores whilst seagulls glided and bobbed down to the waters to scoop up a fish or two. The weather seemed pleasant enough with the sun shining its warmth on the island, though the visitors that had arrived recently were nowhere to be seen, only their footsteps remained that seemed to lead deep into the trees and bushes of the island…

Another huge leaf was cut as Dick trudged his way through the vastness of the forested area that surrounded him, slashing his way with the stick he had carved into a jagged tool. He spent a lot of time making it sharp, and it certainly served its purpose when he used it to slice through the forest. He stopped and looked back to scan the path he had trekked.

"Hey! You coming or what?"

Yeah, yeah, right behind you," came a voice a short distance away. The leaves seemed to move and rustle to reveal a tired looking female with dirt and grime all over her face and her hair a mess. "Can't we stop to take a rest, I feel like we've been walking for hours."

"Can't take a little nature?" Dick said, continuing further as soon as he saw Kory catch up.

"I just think we should stop and save our energy, besides my feet are killing me." She sat down on a rock taking off her shoes and rubbing her sore feet.

At this rate they would never get anywhere. Dick had persuaded Kory to go explore the island with him, saying that it would be useful to get to know the area at least and perhaps find something useful that will serve their needs. He stood there leaning on one leg with an annoyed expression on his face and watching as she placed her shoes beside her and rubbing her aching soles. He folded his arms and tapped his feet repeatedly on the ground, silently gesturing her to hurry up. Kory just ignored him as she resumed massaging her muscles. Dick continued to glare and just as she was about to say something, he strode over, took her shoes and chopped off the heels with his stick and threw them back beside her. Kory froze in shock, she couldn't believe what had just happened, her shoes were ruined while the blood drained from her face.

"My shoes! What did you do to my shoes?!" she cried.

Without so much as a care Dick headed forward in the direction he was going and said: "Now you won't have to be so tired anymore."

The next thing he knew he was being tackled to the ground from behind with his face being rubbed in the dirt. He quickly got up as soon as the sudden weight was off of him and turned around to see Kory livid with fire burning in her eyes.

"What's gotten into you?" he asked, confused at her reaction.

Kory couldn't believe he had just asked her that. Was he cursed with such a short term memory that he forgot what happened moments ago? With the scene playing over in her head she gave him a front kick in the chest, sending him flying backwards.

The attack caught him by surprise as he rubbed his sore ribs. _"Where did that come from?"_ he thought.

He quickly got up again when he saw her striding rapidly towards him, and he knew it wasn't to ask if he was alright, so he got into a defensive stance ready for whatever would happen next. He saw her getting ready for what looked like an uppercut strike when she was closing in, and he saw his chance when he quickly dodged it and grabbed her hand twisting it behind her back. She screamed. It was more from frustration than from pain. He let go dropping her to the floor.

Kory got up and attempted another kick but her fit of anger wasn't helping so Dick managed to sweep out her legs from under her, making her fall flat on her face. She wasted no time and lunged for him, striking and attacking him in blind fury, he simply grabbed both her wrists and pinned her down, immobilizing every part of her body while he straddled her.

"Are you quite finished?" he said, staring into her eyes. He could still see the fire she had in them, those eyes made him want to look at them all day, but he valued his life even more, and with all the new surprises he was getting from her he didn't want to risk anything.

Kory turned her head away from him with closed eyes, sighing with defeat. Once he was convinced she had given in Dick loosened up a bit on her. She snatched her wrists back and pushed him off so she could get up and grab what was left of her shoes.

"What's wrong with you anyway?" he asked.

That question alone made her whip around to face him dead in the eye. "I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW MUCH OF AN ASS YOU CAN BE! DO YOU EVEN REALIZE WHAT YOU'VE DONE?! YOU JUST ACT WITHOUT EVEN THINKING, OF COURSE THAT'S WHAT I'D EXPECT FROM A MAN LIKE YOU!"

Of course this didn't help Dick to tame his anger. "A MAN LIKE ME, WELL YOU DON'T LIVE UP TO STANDARDS MUCH EITHER! ALL YOU CAN DO IS SULK ALL DAY, CAN'T YOU JUST APPRECIATE ANYTHING FOR JUST A MOMENT?!"

"YOU DON'T KNOW ME! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I HAVE TO DEAL WITH!"

"No, I'm sure I don't, it must be so hard being you, going to all those parties, looking good for the cameras, how _do_ you manage that?"

Kory huffed. "You would never understand."

"What is your problem anyway, they're just shoes for God's sake."

"THEY'RE NOT JUST SHOES, THEY'RE…they were…" Kory couldn't finish as she broke into quiet sobs. She turned heading back in the opposite direction of their path.

"What, so you're not coming with me now?" he called after her.

"NO!" was all she said before she disappeared into the forest.

"WELL FINE!" he said, frustrated.

Now it was Dick's turn to sigh, he sat down on the rock Kory had been on and started to think. He still couldn't understand what the big fuss was, the dress she was wearing seemed more expensive and that was getting all worn and torn, though she hardly seemed to care about that. He'd seen her ripping pieces of it like it never meant anything to her, but her shoes she liked to preserve, constantly wiping away the sand they collected, trying to maintain their condition. He was still in thought when he heard a shrill scream coming from a distance. His head shot up and he knew who it was from. He debated on whether he should go or not, the last time he did it was just a crab, but his conscience was screaming at him to go or he would deeply regret it.

He found himself running, running as fast as he could, yet he couldn't understand why, why his body felt a need of urgency that made him frantically search for the red headed girl, just like it did the first time he heard her scream. Dick stopped running as soon as the continuous screaming stopped. There was something wrong, he could feel it in his gut, aside from the other feeling he got thanks to Kory. He used his hearing to pick up on anything that might give him some clue to her whereabouts. Nothing. He walked cautiously, watching every step, waiting for anything that might jump out at him. Just as he was about to give up his eyes widened in alarm.

There, right before him, was Kory, trapped in the grip of a huge cobra. Her face was going paler by the second, that reptile was sucking the life out of her. Slowly Dick took a step closer but was met with the face of the creature itself, hissing away at him to back off. There was nothing he could do, though there was still time to get away…and just leave her to her demise? No. He couldn't, he wouldn't, and not without her. There was no time to waste, Kory's face was getting paler by the second and he needed to act fast or she'd be dead soon. His only weapon, the sharp stick he had carved earlier, his grasp on it tightening as he stared viciously back into the cobra's deadly eyes.

He took his stance ready for attack, the cobra anticipating his every move. Two swift steps forward and his path was blocked along with a warning hiss of that cobra's threatening tongue. Dick tried again to advance but again it intervened.

"I really don't have time for this."

Suddenly Dick had an idea, he would have to hope that overgrown snake was as dense as he was planning for. He made a leap in an unexpected direction followed by the cobra's head, then changing course dodging his predator, before leaping again in a different route. He continued like this while the unsuspecting snake followed his every move, that was until Dick vanished out of sight. The cobra stopped and slithered cautiously forward trying to see where its fresh prey was. Silence filled the air, there was not a sound to be heard. Suddenly there was a cry and Dick roared out of nowhere bringing his stick crashing down stabbing it into the snake's head, killing it instantly and making it let go of Kory.

As soon as he made certain it was dead Dick ran to her and cradled her in his arms, slapping her lightly on the cheeks in an effort to wake her up. Much to his relief she started inhaling in and out, then opened her eyes groggily to look up at her rescuer. He stared into her green orbs never having been this close to her long enough to notice how intoxicating those eyes were. She stared back up at him blankly at first, but then leapt up to him burying her head in his neck. It was odd, Dick hadn't been expecting that. He started to hear her sob quietly.

"Hold me. Just hold me and don't let me go," she spoke so soft it was barely a whisper, but he heard every word and complied with her wishes.

* * *

"Do we have to eat everything that attacks me?" Kory frowned while watching the fire crackling away. 

Dick smiled and continued trying to turn over the remains of the roasting snake that cooked over the heat. "What can I say, you're good at attracting food."

He expected her to shoot back at him with an insult, that _was_ after all her basic pattern of behavior ever since they met, but she didn't. In fact she stayed silent, but when she did speak she said something he never thought he'd hear her say.

"Thank you."

Dick stared at her in disbelief. "For what?"

Kory wrapped her arms tighter around herself while still looking down on the ground. "For saving me. I'd be dead if it wasn't for you."

He smiled and sat next to her, though still leaving some space between them so she wouldn't feel uncomfortable, and ate in silence.

* * *

"There you are handsome," Ryan heard someone say as he lay on the deck chair. He looked up to see Angelina who was towering over him with a warm smile. 

"Hey sweetheart," he said pulling her head down for a kiss.

"Well you seem much happier since yesterday, any particular reason?" she inquired.

Ryan brought her down onto his lap and started playing with her hair. "Maybe it's because I listened to a certain someone who gave me advice when I needed it the most." He managed to prop himself into a sitting position with Angelina still on his lap. "I talked to my dad last night."

"And…"

"And he said he'd help me get Mom to talk to me."

"Then what happened?"

"Well after I left dad stayed and waited for Mom…"

* * *

_Lou-Anne had finally returned to her room a good few hours later. She seemed very distant as she sauntered in, not intent on having to talk too much. Myan noticed this and went to cuddle her from behind, leaning his head into hers. Lou-Anne didn't respond, she was lifeless, no emotion crossed her features. Myan turned her around until she was facing him yet she didn't look at him. _

"_Have you eaten anything yet?" he asked her._

_No reply._

"_Sweetheart, you've got to keep your strength up, I know this is a lot to handle but starving isn't going to…"_

"_I'm not hungry," came her sudden reply._

_Myan stared at her. "Darling, the last time I saw you eat was at the Banquet dinner we had, now you don't honestly expect me to believe that that was the last time you ate?"_

_Lou-Anne turned her head away hoping he would just drop the subject, but Myan cared too much to let this go._

"_Lou-Anne? Is what I'm saying true?" he pressed on more concernedly._

"_Why does it matter so much?" It was the first time he saw her green eyes ever since she entered their suite, they confirmed everything he needed to know. By her eyes he could tell that not only had she not eaten in a long time, but that she hadn't slept either. It was also obvious that she'd been crying a lot. _

_It was no use, Lou-Anne couldn't hold it in anymore, she broke down and sobbed loudly in Myan's arms._

"_Shh, there, there," he soothed and sat her down on their bed. "You wait here, I'll be right back."_

_Lou-Anne nodded as she watched her husband leave momentarily only to return with a plate covered by a napkin. Lou-Anne looked skeptically at it until Myan removed the napkin and revealed a delicious looking meal. _

"_Myan I…I don't think I can eat."_

"_Yes you can, because I'm going to feed it to you," he said sitting down next to her and preparing a morsel of food for her to swallow. _

_Lou-Anne sighed, she was in no mood to argue about something this trivial, so she just gave in._

_She had to admit, she felt a lot better after eating and relaxing in Myan's arms. His hands caressed her skin softly offering what comfort they could while he himself was deep in thought at what he was going to say._

"_Honey?" he started._

"_Hmm?" _

"_Are you upset with Ryan?" He felt her go stiff in his arms as soon as he said this._

"_Why would I be upset?" she replied plainly._

"_Well, you haven't exactly been the same with him lately, he thinks you're angry because you blame him for what happened."_

_Lou-Anne sat up and covered her eyes in annoyance. "Myan…it's fine…everything's fine…"_

"_No it's not. He was so sad when he came to me, he feels ignored and he doesn't like it."_

"_Then maybe he shouldn't have ignored our instructions when we told him to look for his sister," she said, getting up out of her husband's lap and walking to the dresser._

"_Yes I know but…"_

"_She's lost Myan, she's lost at sea! It's not like we can ask any witnesses because she's somewhere in the middle of the ocean. Who are we supposed to interrogate about this? The fish, the whales, the sharks…oh my God…sharks." Lou-Anne's knees buckled at the thought of what she just said as she used the dresser for support. "She could've had a run in with sharks, for all we know our baby could be…"_

"_Don't even think like that," Myan said rushing to her side. "Our little girl is alive, I know it." He held her in his arms and swayed her from side to side. _

"_I don't want to lose her Myan," she sobbed, "I just want my baby back."_

"_We're all regretting this honey, especially Ryan." He held her by her shoulders to look into her eyes. "He's hurting terribly you know."_

_She looked away in thought biting her lip._

_Myan gently stroked her hair. "Right now our youngest child needs his mother's love and support, so tell me, are you going to give it to him?"_

_A soft knock disturbed Ryan from his thoughts as he lay on his bed. He got up to answer the door and was surprised to see who it was._

"_Mom?"_

_Lou-Anne stood there, her face as plain as ever. "Hello Ryan."_

"_Er…come in." He said nervously, stepping aside for her._

_She slowly entered but didn't turn round to face him._

"_Look Mom, I'm glad you're here because I really needed to talk to you, I'm so sorry. I tried so hard to find her, I truly did. I just want you to forgive…" But before he could finish Ryan was locked in his mother's embrace. "Mom?"_

"_I'm sorry honey. I shouldn't have been so hard on you. I know it wasn't your fault."_

"_But it was my fault, if I just…"_

"_Shhhh, it's alright."_

_Ryan was confused at first but then he smiled and he knew his mother had forgiven him._

* * *

Angelina could see that same big smile on Ryan's face as he finished telling her the story. "So she's okay with you now?" 

"Yup, she's finally talking to me, and it's all thanks to you."

"Don't you mean your dad? I mean he _was_ the one who got her to come around."

"Yeah, but it was your idea to go to him in the first place, and for that, I want to thank you," he said stroking her back.

"So thank me," she giggled.

He smirked and leaned in for a sweet kiss before settling comfortably with her in the deck chair.

"Ryan, tell me more about your sister," Angelina asked lazily after a while.

"You want to know about Kory?"

"Of course. You told me I would really like her if I'd met her, and since I can't meet her right now, I was wondering if you'd tell me about her, tell me what she's like?"

Ryan cleared his throat. "Well, this is gonna sound weird coming from her brother but physically, she's…quite attractive. Yeah, I've seen the way guys notice her, even all my friends ask me about her, but there's more to her than just her looks, for one thing she's really caring."

* * *

"This isn't half bad, you know," Kory said through her mouthful.

"I know, tastes good, doesn't it?" said Dick grabbing another batch of snake with his pitchfork-shaped stick. "There's plenty left so have some more."

"No thanks, I think I'll just save my appetite for…oh my goodness, what's that?"

"What?" Dick asked, he was searching around at whatever might have caught her attention.

"That," Kory said.

Dick realized she was motioning to his arm where a nasty looking cut could be seen, but he shrugged it off. "This? Oh, it's just a scratch, nothing major."

"That is so not a scratch," Kory said quickly taking his arm, "How did it happen?"

"Probably when I was dealing with 'Fangs' here," he replied suggesting towards the snake. "Don't worry about it, it'll be fine."

"It will get infected, and plus there are no doctors around so we can't let it get any worse, we have to treat it now."

Dick was speechless for argument and at the fact that she had so much concern. "Er…okay, if you say so."

"Besides, I wouldn't want anything to happen to you." Kory had said this under her breath but Dick had heard her. "Stay there, I'll be right back." He watched her leave rushing towards the trees.

Dick wasn't sure what to think anymore, suddenly she had concern for his well being? A while ago she was trying to kill him over a pair of shoes and now…_"This girl is definitely something else."_

Kory had shortly returned with her hands full of something covered up by leaves. She sat down placing the leafy pile next to her and took Dick's arm. He observed her as she seemed to fiddle around with this and that before opening up the leaves to reveal something gooey inside. Dick looked at it in disgust while Kory soaked two of her fingers in it and started smearing it gently onto his wounded arm.

"What _is _that anyway?" Dick finally asked.

"It's a special kind of sap, I made it just now. It's supposed to be really good for these kinds of things, I just hope I made it right."

He watched her use up the whole substance on him until she was done and carefully placed his arm in his lap. "Now be careful with that, and don't do anything strenuous. It should take no more than a couple of days to be healed, and keep it away from water."

Dick simply nodded to her instructions, wondering if he was on the right island.

* * *

"I would say that trait runs in the family," said Angelina whilst gazing out at the sea. 

Ryan chuckled, he'd just told about the time Kory found a bird with a broken wing and took the time to heal it. "Yeah, she's just like Mom."

"And her brother, who I also find caring and sweet. So what else can you tell me about her?"

Ryan smiled as he thought more about Kory's characteristics. "One thing that you don't find too common these days is being giving with an open heart, and Kory definitely shows that."

* * *

Dick and Kory had been sitting on the rocks, talking away and passing the time. 

"How's the arm?" Kory asked.

Dick observed the now healed skin where his wound was. It had been a few days and it was barely noticeable. "Looking good. You were right, that gooey stuff really works."

Kory gave him a small smile before turning back to face the ocean. "It was tree sap."

"How do you know so much about this stuff anyway?" he asked her.

"I just know."

"What? It came to you in a dream or something?" He said throwing a pebble in the water.

"Don't be silly," she replied plainly.

"Then how?" he asked simply.

Kory gave a heavy sigh. "I watch the Discovery Channel, okay? It happens to be my favorite thing to watch on TV."

"Seriously?"

"Just don't spread it around, okay?"

"Okay…so, you have any hobbies, interests, things like that?"

There was silence and Dick didn't think she was going to answer him, until…"There's a project I'm working on. I'm planning on building an orphanage, a good orphanage, in Gotham."

Kory could see he was interested.

"I did some research and I found that the number of homeless children increased by five percent last year. Some of them run away from orphanages themselves. I want to give children a place that offers hope, instead of another excuse to run away. No one should be denied a chance of hope."

Dick stayed silent for a moment and that unnerved her.

"You're going to laugh aren't you? You're going to say I can't do it and that I should leave it to someone who knows what they're doing."

"You sound like you do know what you're doing." Dick said to her. "You're not just throwing money at this without thinking, you're taking the time to look into the issue, you're putting your heart and soul into it. I'd say go for it, and good luck, though I doubt you'll need it."

Kory was shocked, here was someone who actually understood, it was…unbelievable. For the first time someone was on level with her, someone took what she said seriously.

* * *

"She loves kids," Ryan told Angelina, "She can just be one sometimes, and that's another thing about her, she's playful. That's one of the things I miss most about her, she was always fun to be with."

* * *

It had rained the past few days with strong winds and Dick's little dwelling that he built himself with leaves and vines had suffered some damage. Dick was fixing it up since his first attempt hadn't proved to be very stable against the weather. Suddenly he felt something small yet hard hit him in the side of his neck. He looked around to see no one there, and carried on tying another vine with a leaf. Then it happened again, he was hit on the leg and this time he heard a quiet giggle. Dick pretended to ignore it and resumed his task, but was unprepared when Kory jumped out and tickled him hard before running away. Dick couldn't resist but chase after her until he caught her and tackled her to the ground. 

"So what's brought on this mood, princess?"

Kory liked the nickname he made for her, they had been getting along so well in the past weeks she didn't mind it one bit.

"Well, since it finally stopped raining I thought…"

"That you would attack me?"

"I didn't attack you." Kory shot back. "I just pounced on you."

"Isn't that the same thing?"

"Not with me," she giggled. The time spent with him she realized was actually getting to be quite enjoyable. She was used to his witty remarks and would sometimes laugh it off. She couldn't remember feeling so at ease with anyone.

She saw that he had a sly look in his eyes, something she found herself being attracted to. "Well I guess you wouldn't mind if I do this," he said, and before she knew it Dick was tickling her.

"No, no, not there, that's my weak spot," she cried out in between laughs.

But he continued his game, the melodious laugh he loved to hear from her only encouraging him more…

* * *

"Ryan!" 

Ryan was so startled he shot up, accidentally dropping Angelina to the floor. Quickly he got her up just in time to see his mother rush towards them.

"Ryan, your father's been looking everywhere for you. He needs you to do something for him, he's with the Captain in his quarters."

"Sure Mom, I'll go find him," he said.

"I'd better go too. My mom might be worried," Angelina said before giving a light peck to Ryan's cheek and walked away.

Lou-Anne smiled gazing at her son's retreating back and then at Angelina's in the opposite direction.

"_At least she makes him happy", _she thought.

* * *


	7. A Union of Friendship

Well hello my faithful readers...from this not-so-faithful author. Seems a lot of you like this story, that means a lot. I'll try and give you a quicker update, but can't promise though. Thank you again to all those who reviewed, I reply to all my reviewers, and if I haven't then let me know.

Let me know what you think. Plus, who's been reading Kryalla Orchid's story? That is some kick-ass amazing piece of work. Shout out to Kryalla!

* * *

**Chapter 7:**** A Union of Friendship**

He watched her from afar staring intently. A few days ago Kory had decided to adjust her outfit, tearing away at her expensive dress and designing a look that suited to her tastes, creating a halter top and short skirt ensemble. Give her a spear and she could pass off as a tribal Amazonian warrior, but a sexy one at that, and in Dick's opinion at least. Ever since the change it had been somewhat of a struggle for him _not_ to get distracted by her appearance, he thought he had seen beautiful, but he couldn't be more wrong when he saw her. He knew any guy back home would give anything to be trapped on an island with a beauty such as this one, now crouched down alluringly before his gaze, and he knew they'd have no hesitations taking advantage of this sweet predicament. But Dick wasn't like that, he thought with his brains, not his balls, and he wasn't about to go and ruin the friendship he'd unexpectedly formed with this enchanting creature he had come to know. Friendship…why did it sound like it wasn't enough? He sat there and asked himself one thing: _"Am I falling for her?"_

Kory had seen it been done before and she wanted to try it for herself, besides, how hard could it be to rub two sticks together.

"Come on, come on. Fire, I need fire. Fire, fire, fire…." She rubbed vigorously concentrating hard until…"AAGH! Dammit!"

"Are you alright?" She heard Dick's urgent voice as he approached, who stopped abruptly as he saw the sight of her hands. Apparently there seemed to be a huge gash as her palms were now covered in blood. "Ooh, that's _gotta_ hurt. Do we still have that sap left?"

"No, we used it all up the time you stepped on that piece of sharp coral in the water while you were getting our lunch, remember?" She said through gritted teeth, trying to stay as calm as possible through the stinging pain she was currently experiencing.

"Ah well," he shrugged. "Guess I'd better make some more," he said as he crouched down to her level.

"Do you even remember how to make it?"

"Yeah, of course I do, you did show me after all. Come on." Gently wrapping an arm around her waist and holding one of her forearms he helped her up on her feet. "I'm going to take you over there so I can treat that wound," he gestured with his head. "That okay?"

She nodded and let him lead her away.

It was strange yet, enticing. Who would've thought the two of them would get along so well, sometimes Kory would still find that hard to believe. Normally she wouldn't let just any guy get physically close to her like this, except her father, her favorite uncle Galfore, and _maybe_ Ryan…_maybe_. Even the countless dates she was made to go on wouldn't be allowed to have that kind of contact with her; in fact she would go out of her way to keep as much distance from herself and them as possible. Though when her father interfered with her dates, whether it was forcing her to sit closer, sharing a dance with them, or anything else she found too demeaning for her tastes, she would have no choice but to oblige. He would always tell her it was for the cameras; to show good publicity. Those cursed cameras, how she hated them. They practically ruled her life, never giving her a moment's peace. It was times like these she'd seek out her mother's comfort…her mother. She did miss her so, and the thought of her made her frown.

Dick had her lean up against a tree while he fetched some water to clean the blood and then prepared the sap to the best of his knowledge, and before Kory knew it he was by her side tending to her blooded hands.

"So, no luck making that fire then?" He said after a while, keeping his eyes on what he was doing.

"Yeah, thanks for rubbing it in…no pun intended by the way," she replied monotonously as she watched him rub the mixture.

He chuckled at her. "Well, you're the one who wanted to make the fire for tonight."

"So I wanted to try it for myself, okay? I've seen you do it so many times, you make it look so easy." The feeling of embarrassment uninvitingly settled within her at the thought of messing up in front of him, she was sure he must be laughing at her inside, making her nervous to ask the next question on her mind. "Do…do you think you could…you know…."

"Yes?" He dared not look at her but was listening closely enough while focusing on his task to recognize the edginess in her voice.

"Well…" Kory continued, "I was wondering if you could…perhaps teach me…to make a fire that is."

"Sure, why not, but _after_ you're all healed up. Deal?"

She nodded excitedly with a sweet smile that Dick found so endearing, yet still it didn't ease Kory's nerves completely.

"Okay, but…are you sure about this? I mean, you don't…mind, right?"

"Why would you think I'd mind," he said giving her an odd stare.

"I just thought since I failed so _miserably_ you would think I was a lost cause that couldn't be taught anything to save my life."

He laughed, hard. "Where do you get these crazy ideas from? You have so much potential I'm amazed you don't see that." She couldn't help the blush or the light smile that graced her face. "I mean, let's think back shall we? You made this sap for starters, right?" He gestured to the gooey concoction by his side.

She nodded slowly.

"There's your knowledge of the constellations, you showed me the Big Dipper, remember?"

"So? Anyone can connect the dots and make a picture with a sky full of stars, how hard could it be."

"_Then_ you made that all-natural shampoo."

"That was nothing, it was just something I was experimenting with, and before I knew it I'd made a batch of the stuff," she shrugged.

"Exactly, you've taken the situation and utilized it to your own advantage."

"_And_ yours. You can use it too, you know. It may not be Head & Shoulders or Pantene, or whatever it is that you use, but hey, what are you gonna you do?"

He smiled. "Still, I wouldn't have expected that from _anyone_, much less an Ambassador's daughter. No offense."

"None taken," she chirped, causing him to chuckle lightly and continue with the healing.

"You're amazing though but you won't admit it." She _was_ amazing, there was obviously so much talent there, yet she was completely dismissive about it like it was nothing more than breathing. He began to wonder if she really _was_ an Ambassador's daughter, no one could imagine a Gotham socialite to be experienced in the kind of knowledge she had, and in those areas too.

He'd soon finished up treating her wounds and was wiping his hands clean, then sat leaned up against a tree and took a drink of his coconut milk that he'd cracked open moments ago, keeping one half for himself and the other to Kory. She inspected her hands as if trying to see the healing in motion before her very eyes.

"Fire," she heard him say and looked up.

"Hm?"

"You also tried to make fire."

"A lot of good that did me," she said amusedly holding up her hands to him.

"You still tried though." He stared at her then skeptically. "You know, all the stuff I've seen you do…and dabble in," he chuckled motioning to her hands, "I don't think you could've learnt all that from watching the Discovery Channel."

"I picked up _some_ of the things from there, but okay, I confess, I have other sources too, like books, I like to read. My cousin keeps so many books about hiking, skiing, mounting biking…yeah, seems both Bobby _and_ me both love to read about the great outdoors. My favorite thing though, has to be camping."

"Camping?" He said already intrigued.

"Uh huh. Admittedly it never appealed to me much in the beginning, of course then I didn't know how wrong I'd be. I remember picking up this book in Bobby's library, well his father's really, anyway this book, it was called…it was called…" she began repeatedly tapping her finger to her chin trying to remember, "Oh yeah, 'Discovering the joys of Recreational Life.' I wonder if he still has that…well anyway, once I started reading it I couldn't put it down. It was about all the things you could find in the wilderness, the kind of activities you could do, not to mention all the ideal places you could go for star gazing."

She paused a moment again as her smile faded. "My brother would always be spending the night at my cousin's place so they could sleep out in the backyard under the stars...I've always wanted to do that."

"You could've joined them."

He saw her shake her head 'no' solemnly. "I asked my parents once and they looked at me like I was completely out of mind. Said I was not to concern myself with things that were a waste of time. I did try to sneak out at night but my sister knew and ratted on me to my parents." She sighed. "You know what draws me to camping? It's the adventure, the excitement, the imagination of what could happen out there. I always wondered what it would be like to spend the night outdoors, just one on one with nature." She steered her head to look at Dick. "I don't suppose you've ever been camping."

He nodded. "Ever since I was a kid, actually."

"Really?" Astonishment beamed from her eyes.

"Yup, we would go all the way out in the backcountry and camp by this lake where you could always find the best tasting fish."

"Let me guess, that's where you learnt your talent for fishing, right?"

Over the past few days whenever Dick would go and 'catch their grub' as he put it, Kory would find herself observing him more intently than she would sometimes realize. Going knee deep into the water he would use the spear he had carved and put his skills to work. His bare chest showing every muscle moving with every movement would send tingles up and down her spine, his broad perfect shoulders and those muscular arms made her unusually hot even with the revealing outfit she wore and with the wind often blowing through. The wind. Oh, how it made him look even more striking as it would gently run itself through his growing hair. She suddenly wished it was her fingers that were gliding through those unruly black locks of his.

"Yeah, Garfield's dad was a natural at it; he taught us everything we knew. He was the one that showed me how to make a spear in the first place and the way I could fish with it."

He shifted in his seat to get more comfortable. "Gar's parents traveled a lot in the wild, in fact they've also done a lot of research and not just on animals either. They discovered different tribes and even picked up a few things from them."

"Sounds fascinating," she said with a smile as she watched him take another sip of his coconut milk, making her feel thirsty for some too. She saw her half by her side and tried to lift it with her forearms, as her hands were covered in sap, but her struggle was proving difficult. So, with her sweetest smile plastered on her face she looked to her companion. "A little help?"

After being slightly amused by her efforts he crawled over holding up the coconut shell for her to drink from till she had her fill, then settled to sit right beside her. "Thanks," she said to him.

"No problem. Hey, you sure you're not getting bored listening to all this, you don't have to humor me with fake interest, you know. I can take a hint."

"Humor you? No really, it _is _fascinating. Why would you think otherwise?"

"Well, most girls don't like hearing about this kind of stuff."

"Well I'm not most girls," she smiled, "Now will you tell me more?"

And so he did, him telling her all the stories he could remember from his time in the outdoors, her laughing at all the funny incidents that happened to him and his friends while they were there, unaware to the both of them that dusk was settling in and the stars were making their first appearance.

"The very first time I made sap," Kory continued after she finished laughing, "I was at somebody's Garden Party and bored to tears, so I wondered off on my own a bit. See, I recently just watched this documentary about how people would get by surviving in the woods or the jungle or any place as such, and that's when they showed how sap was made. So, as I was walking in their garden I came across all these trees they had, it was way off out of sight, almost hidden if you will, and no one was looking so I…kinda _borrowed_ some of their ingredients."

She suddenly noticed his gaze on her. "What? Stop looking at me like that," she laughed as she tried to nudge him the best she could with her shoulder.

Dick pretended to give her a disproving look. "Ooh bad. Bad, bad, very bad girl, taking something without permission."

"Oh come on, they have plenty to spare," she said uncaringly, "Even if those trees were a gift to them from the Japanese President." However the last part she said under her breath.

"Like I said before, bad."

"What they don't know won't hurt them," she said slyly.

He shook his head as he smiled, before turning lazily to gaze towards the sky. "Man, look at the time," he said casually, "we've been here a while and I haven't even caught any fish for us to eat yet."

"Don't bother about me, I'm good, the milk filled me up. You might want to catch something for yourself though."

He moved to try and get up but collapsed back in his position at the thought of the effort he'd have to put into _getting_ something for dinner before he could eat it. "You know what, I'm not that hungry either."

"At least that'll save you the trouble now," she chirped. "Why not we take a walk along the beach instead?"

"Sounds good to me," he said getting up and helping her up with him as they started walking across the sand.

"So how long have you known Vic and Gar?" Kory asked after a short silence.

"Since I was a brat of a kid, I must've been around…nine, ten years old?"

"And they're you're best friends?"

"Yeah. You'll like 'em when you meet 'em. They're a couple of clowns but they're great to be with."

"They sound like a lot of fun," Kory giggled, the episodes of their antics that Dick related to her still lingering in her mind, followed by a frown. "Do you think anyone has noticed that we've gone?"

"Nope. I think they spent the rest of that night partying on their cruise ship while we almost drowned, before going home to live their lives without a care in the world. No, I don't think they've noticed at all, in fact I think they'll probably get clones to replace us," he mused, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Kory rolled her eyes and shoved him hard, making him stagger in laughter a few steps. "You know what I mean. Moron. I mean it's been…how long since we've been here?"

"A month and two weeks, I think."

"Wow, that long? I hadn't even noticed. Yeah, so, what was I saying…?"

"How you thought mustard was a beverage?"

Kory couldn't help but laugh at that. It was becoming a natural reflex now to his witty attitude. "I should've never told you that, and I was five years old for God's sake. Honestly. Okay, now I've completely forgotten what I was about to say."

Dick calmed his fit of giggles almost regrettably, not wanting to end the enjoyment of the talks that would often turn into them goofing around. "You were wondering if anyone noticed that we've disappeared."

"Oh yeah, that's right. Well as I was saying before I don't doubt that they tried to search for us but as you said, it _has_ been a month and two weeks since this whole thing happened."

"Give or take a day."

"And well…they're not going to keep on searching forever…right? They might give up on us…and when they do…before we know it…our families will accept that we're gone and move on and forget about us…"

There was a note of sadness and hurt now in Kory's voice, and what she had said struck Dick unexpectedly.

"I…I never thought of it that way."

They had stopped walking now and found themselves at one of their favorite places, the huge rocky shores where they liked to climb and sit while watching the sunsets. Being cautious with her wounds Dick helped Kory onto one of the rocks as he perched on another next to it.

The waves rolled in one after the other as the sky displayed its show of colors that looked like an artist's brush strokes.

"Maybe it's for the best," Kory sighed, "I mean there's not much for me to go back to." The words stung her inside when she said this, but she had always tried to put on a brave face through her miseries, and this time would be no different. However Dick couldn't quite grasp how she seemed to have lost faith so easily.

"Your life can't be that bad, can it?" As soon as he asked this he almost wished he hadn't as a huge scowl crossed her face. There was a pause as her frustrated breathing became more evident, and then…

"_Bad?_ _**Bad?**_ No, why on earth would it be bad? Everywhere I go I'm pursued by the paparazzi who, might I add, seem to know everything about me, even the things _I_ didn't know about me. My friends, if you could call them friends, are all plastic suck ups and always have some kind of vendetta, and my own father has me engaged to God knows who," she spat out.

"Engaged?" He said, unintentionally showing his surprise.

She heaved a heavy sigh and rested her chin on her arms while she let her hands dangle on opposite sides. "It was meant to be part of a business deal. I swear my life isn't even mine anymore, I feel like I'm a stranger in it. Plus it doesn't help that there's no one to understand me, though one person did…"

Dick, recovering from his shock, took the risk of probing her gently. "Is it okay if I ask…who?"

Kory regarded him for a moment, and then proceeded. "It was my grandmother. My grandmother was the kind of person I had no problems relating to. Sometimes I even felt like she knew me better than I did. If there was anytime I felt lost or needed guidance she would be there, and she would always know what to say. She always did have the best advice, and I can honestly say I've never met a wiser person."

"I loved and cherished every gift she gave to me, like they were special or something. I remember one time my mom said I needed an elegant pair of shoes for this upcoming event we had to go to, and I agreed, reluctantly."

"Why would you be reluctant about getting new shoes? I thought girls go crazy over that kind of stuff."

She giggled. "They do. It's just that I am, I can never find anything I like, I'm picky in that department, but it doesn't mean I spend hours every other day at the mall trying on shoes. So anyway, my mom took me to this really classy store for our shoe hunting escapade, but as it happened, everything she picked out for me, I didn't like. Don't get me wrong, mom has great taste, just not when it comes to my shoes. So my aunt tried, and still I wasn't pleased. Heck, I couldn't even please myself, and everyone was getting so frustrated with me. Then my grandmother decided to pay us a visit, and when she visits she always brings us gifts and presents, it's just how she is, and we would love her for it."

It was charming the way talking about her grandmother lit up her face, Dick guessed that she obviously must have held deep affection for her.

"Apparently mom must've told her about my footwear dilemma because when I opened the box grandma handed to me…I saw the most beautiful, perfect pair of shoes I had ever seen. I gave her a huge hug, and as soon as I tried them on I fell in love with them, they truly were perfect. I always made sure they were well taken care off."

"These shoes, they were the same ones I ruined weren't they?"

Dick saw her nod in reply as she began to shift nervously in her seat. "Sadly, that was the last thing she ever gave me…before she died," her voice croaked out, and an instant wave of regret swept through him.

"That's…that's awful." Dick said solemnly.

"She had cancer...she never told us, not until it was too late."

At that moment Dick began moving closer to her in a gesture of comfort. "Kory, I'm really sorry. If I'd only known how much those shoes really meant to you-"

"It's okay," she interrupted casually.

"No, it's not okay." He moved closer. "I should've known better than to-"

"Dick, it's okay," she reassured him. "Besides, I shouldn't be attached to worldly objects anyway. If I've learnt anything it's that as long as you have their memories, remembering all the good times you shared with those you loved…you haven't really lost anything at all. I already feel her here." She gestured the palm of her hand to her heart, making sure not to get sap on herself.

Moving even closer he placed his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, well, as close as he could without him getting messy too. Together they stayed like that while Kory rested her head on his shoulder. It was Dick who broke the comforting silence between them.

"Hey, you know something?"

"What's that?" Kory replied lazily.

"It's the first time I heard you say my name."

Kory, still in his embrace, looked a little stunned for a moment before she smiled knowingly to herself. "And I do believe it's the first time you said mine."

"Sooo, what does this mean?" He asked casually.

"Hmm, what do _you_ think it means?"

"I think it's the beginning of acceptance."

"The recognition of a new alliance," Kory continued with a smile.

"The acknowledgement of our union, a union of…"

"Friendship," they both said together, smiling under the stars.

* * *

Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne's faithful butler, unscrewed the top off the wine for the host and his guest conversing in Bruce Wayne's study. One would think time would heal the wounds that had been inflicted upon them but it seemed in this case, the wounds were getting deeper. The house had been strangely quiet without the antics of the young ward it was hard to imagine they ever lived a life without him. Bruce, whenever being inflicted with news he didn't like, would confine himself in his study, wallowing in his dark mood. He'd been like that until recently, when he'd been holding private meetings for hours with a group of individuals, then dismissing them to work in his study for another few hours. Alfred though, did question him about it once, and Bruce waved the matter away like it was nothing. After that he never asked again. 

It had only been a few minutes since the Ambassador's arrival at Wayne Manor. For a long time Myan said nothing, he just stared out the huge windows overlooking the front lawn of the Manor. What was there to say anyway, hope seemed bleak at this point. The sound of a knock at the door interrupted the silence, followed later by a tiny clatter of something being placed on the desk.

"I realize you only wished for wine sir," the old Butler said, addressing Bruce Wayne, "but I thought something to eat may also serve."

"Thank you Alfred," Bruce replied, "and you can leave the wine here."

"Very good, sir," Alfred responded, allowing the two men to their time.

"Come on, you need this," Bruce gestured to Myan holding out a plate of caviar for him.

Hunger had been the last thing on his mind yet he still felt a loyalty to honor his old friend's wishes, and silently took the plate from him. "It hasn't been easy, Bruce, it hasn't been easy at all."

"I can understand that. How _is_ your wife by the way?" He asked gently.

It was the question he would tense at, showing much reluctance in having to answer it. He gave a deep, exhausted sigh before letting the words come out of his mouth. "Lou-Anne is much the same, ever since receiving the news that the search for our daughter has been abandoned." He put down his caviar taking the nearest seat, burying his face in his hands and shaking his head.

"She's completely withdrawn herself from everyone; she won't talk to us, and if she does I can't make sense of it." He lifted his head up and seemed to stare out into space. "She has another appointment with the doctor tomorrow and I have to be the one to take her, and on top of that the press won't leave us alone. Bruce…I don't know what to do anymore. My wife is sick, I can't even be there for my children, and I feel like I failed everyone, Lou-Anne, my children, Kory… myself."

Bruce regarded his old friend with much regret, this wasn't the first time Myan had come to him. Ever since the return from the cruise trip this had been one of many frequent visits he had made to Wayne Manor, usually to escape the torment he was enduring at home.

"Failure, Myan, is in a sense the highway to success, as each discovery of what is false leads us to seek earnestly after what is true."

Myan fixed his gaze at the ever calm expression of Bruce.

"Interesting quote is it not, which I would agree applies to our situation."

"I…don't understand, Bruce."

Bruce walked around the study with his drink in hand, as if pondering over what he had said. When he stopped pacing he was at the front of his desk and downed his drink before placing the glass down roughly, his eyes closed the entire time.

"There is still hope yet Myan, in case you haven't realized."

The Ambassador was confused. Of course Myan had tried to hold on to hope, but with each passing day that proved more of a challenge than he expected. "Realize what? The rescuers searched everywhere."

"Not everywhere."

There was a pause of silence.

"Bruce…what are you saying?"

He gave a small smile in his direction. "Read my mind, what am I thinking?"

Myan studied him a moment.

"You think…there's still a chance, a chance that they're out there…waiting for us." There was a new realization in his voice as he tried to comprehend the statement he had made. He felt a small tinge of truth to that, a feeling deep in his heart that yearned to grow.

"I don't doubt their survival Myan, not for a second. While the rescuers did their best to find our children, it wasn't good enough." His attention then seemed to divert towards his huge oak cabinet. "I want you to know that I trust my gut, that's what made me take the step I did."

Suspicion had him on the edge of his seat as Myan watched Bruce's every move, from walking to his cabinet, then opening it up to take out some scrolls of paper which he spread out over his desk.

"I had some maps drawn up by some specialists of mine," Bruce explained, "These are some uncharted islands that were discovered but weren't recorded."

Myan's interest had indeed sparked somewhat, but it had been so hard for him to deal with the reality of the possible fate of his daughter that doubt began to slowly etch its way back again.

"But it's already been done Bruce, what makes you think _we'll_ have any luck just because we have this information?"

The billionaire turned to regard him. "_They_ tried, but _we_ haven't. Now pay attention."

Myan nodded to his friend, not sure if he wanted to risk his expectations being dashed, that was a blow that would surely lead to his breakdown.

"Now, the time I estimate they went overboard was 12:30ish, so we were about here." Bruce explained, pointing to a place on the map. "And since the winds were traveling east that night I'm guessing the current took them towards this area."

"There are quite a few islands there," Myan noticed where Bruce was indicating to. "It could take weeks, even months searching them all."

"Oh, I'm hoping it won't take as long as that, not with the team I've put together," he smiled.

Myan looked up at him accusingly. "You're all set on this, aren't you? And you weren't going to tell me?"

Bruce gazed up at him. "I did intend on telling you, but I wanted to finalize a few things first. However, considering your current situation at home, I feel it's high time you finally knew."

"Alright," Myan said, "so when are you planning to go on this expedition of yours?"

"That depends, are you in, or out?"

It was a window of opportunity, a long shot, yes, but an opportunity. That didn't mean to say there weren't risks, who knew what could happen out in the ocean, who knew what they'd find if not their lost children. But then if they really were out there, who knew how long they were holding onto hope, waiting to be rescued…unless, they had already given up. So Myan did the one thing that made his decision clear, he stuck his hand out and Bruce smiled as he took it in his and shook it.

"I knew I could count on you, old friend."

* * *

Well, do you like it? What do you think? is it getting better, or have I ruined it? 

That quote about failure was by John Keats. Who is he? Well...erm...okay, I have no idea, but John, if you're reading this, thanks for the quote.

If you want a quicker update you can bombard me with requests...or come at me with pitchforks and stakes...KIDDING! I DON'T WANT TO DIE! Ahem, just a nice little note will do.

* * *


	8. To keep Hope High

_Oh my gosh, the reception on this story is amazing. I can't believe how much you all like it. I'm going to tease you a bit here in this chappie, and you might not like that. Good things come to those who wait._

_Some of you think Kory is engaged to Dick, if he is then he's in for the surprise of his life because he doesn't know who her fiancé is either. The fiancé remains a secret, no hint to who it is, nada, so no bribes with chocolate chip cookies and mint choc chip ice cream -drools-_

_Ooookay, maybe a little bribe…-mumbles quietly- meet me outback._

_-clears throat-Yes well, as I was saying, we'll know who it is later…much, much later. The engagement isn't important, it's their relationship that's the focus here. _

_One other thing. What is the difference between 'breathe' and 'breath' in terms of the way they're pronounced? If I just knew the difference in how they're pronounced that would make things a lot easier._

_**Kory's outfit**__: If I could draw I could show you what it looks like and what Dick has to suffer every day, but if anyone else wants to take a crack at drawing it then show me what ya got, if you can pull off the Amazonian, tribal look for her. I wouldn't mind seeing a drawing of that actually, and perhaps Dick in his rags too, where he looks like he just changed back from the Hulk or something and his clothes are all torn and tattered… did someone just turn the thermostat up in here?_

_Aaaanyway, I love ALL your reviews, and I wanted to give a shout out to Danielle since she gave me an anonymous reply. Peace Danielle, thanks for the review._

* * *

**Chapter 8: To keep hope high**

Could it really get any better than this? Everything had felt just right at that very moment. Dick found himself shifting closer to the red head beside him as she leaned back on her hands, her chest stuck out slightly, her beautiful luscious legs basking in the sun, and her eyes closed adding that oh so sweet allure to herself. He didn't dare disturb her, the image was too perfect, he felt like he was watching a painting.

"You're staring at me, aren't you?"

"I didn't realize you noticed," he murmured.

She giggled at him and turned to sit sideways so she was facing him, her smile never fading one bit. He was so mesmerized by her expression he didn't realize his hand had lifted of its own accord and was gently tucking stray locks of fiery hair behind her ear.

"Kory…I-"

His words were cut short as she placed a finger on his lips saying, "Shh."

He obliged without thought as he let her face draw nearer to his until they were a breath apart. Her eyes slowly closed and he knew, yet couldn't believe what was coming next. He saw her lips coming closer and he too closed his eyes, preparing to initiate the first lip contact. His heart leaped while his body's temperature rose like a furnace, and just when he thought he would go over the edge if he didn't feel those lips, he heard her breathe his name.

"Dick."

He smiled, she said it so heavenly. Damn it all, how the hell did she do it, how did she make him melt like this?

"Dick…Dick…" she sang.

He would be reduced to a puddle before he knew it, and only with a mere mention of his name. All of a sudden he noticed that the tone of her voice had changed becoming more…_firmer?_

"Dick…"

"DICK…"

"**DICK**!"

That sudden exclamation jumped his senses and made him shriek…

"AGH!"

…making Kory do the same at that precise moment.

"AGH!"

She stumbled back while he fell on his side.

"Whoa! Are you okay there?" she panted, her hand on her chest trying to calm her breathing.

"Yeah fine, just dandy," he said looking up at her, a slightly annoyed expression pasted on his face.

"Are you sure, coz I've been calling your name for a while and you looked liked you were…I don't know…out of it? And then you screamed as if you were watching some kind of horror movie."

He immediately felt a surge of embarrassment as if she knew exactly what his prior thoughts had been.

"I didn't scream," he mumbled.

"Then what was-"

"It was a yelp."

"Isn't that the same thing?"

Why he was letting himself get annoyed by her he hadn't the faintest idea, so he decided got up as a silent gesture to end this ridiculous conversation. As he did his gaze accidentally went to her lips and lingered there, and without realizing it he was carried away by his imagination before Kory cleared her throat and jolted him out of his world…again.

"Y-yeah, so…you needed me for something, or what?" he asked trying to avert both their attentions.

"Only to ask if you wanted me to get some more coconuts, I think we're running short."

"Um…yeah sure, if you think that's best," he replied. Kory had proven to be quite a good climber of the island's palm trees, and she swore she'd never done it before when Dick asked her about it after he'd witnessed it for the first time. She was definitely a fast learner.

With a smile he watched her trot off back the way she came. "If you need any help with that…" he called after her… "let me know, okay?"

She turned around but kept on walking so that she was now going backwards. "I don't think so, I don't want to be the victim of another one of your jumpiness attacks," she said with a cheeky smile before turning back round and continuing on her way.

"Humph, I wasn't jumpy," he grumbled to himself. _Except when she's around._

He growled in irritation, deciding to ignore the little voice in his head, that annoying, good for nothing influence that had been plaguing and teasing him for some time. Perhaps a walk would take his mind of things.

As on most days the air was pleasant for the island's inhabitants. Gazing back behind him at the gulls gliding over the high cliffs he admired the serenity of his surroundings and thought back to everything that had happened since they first arrived.

Well to begin with, his little 'Princess' didn't make things easy to deal with, but then he agreed to himself that that was just the initial shock of the situation setting in. He had to admit though, those grumpy moods and that stubbornness she displayed made her look all that more cuter, maybe that's why he ruined her shoes, to get a rise out of her, though if he'd known for one second the sentimental value they held he never would have done what he did. And perhaps she wouldn't have done what she did, though she couldn't look threatening even if she tried, and she _tried_, boy, he could still feel that landing he got from her powerful kicks._That_ was unexpected, not the kick, but the fact that she knew how to defend herself, maybe not from that snake that attacked her but he gladly took care of that. It was strange, he'd never felt so compelled to do anything like that before, but seeing having the life squeezed out of her jolted something in him, and before he knew it he was driving a stick through its head and rescuing his damsel in distress.

He chuckled, his Princess had been so concerned with his wounds later that she immediately worked on healing him. She was smart and fun, caring and understanding, she exhibited so much of herself and he had a feeling there was more to come, and he knew he would like every bit of it. She was his friend, his best friend he decided. Together they had survived a bleak situation and turned it into a tropical paradise. Who said being stranded on a desert island was such a bad thing?

His walk had taken him here and there, but due to his lack of attention he ended up right at the spot where his companion was collecting…

_Thunk._

Jumping back suddenly a huge coconut barely missed him by inches upon its landing. He looked up and then wished he hadn't. There was Kory clambered high onto the bark of the tree looking down with a rueful smile, but it was the view of another part of her that froze him. Her skirt had ridden up quite a bit revealing so much more of her legs than he'd thought he'd ever get to see. He could even make out the shapely curve of her buttocks, however he was thankful to the bark for obstructing his view to a certain…area, though it wasn't long before he was cursing it as he noticed the way her legs were wrapped around it and found himself wishing he was the bark instead. Damn hormones. All he wanted to do then was push her up against a tree and-

"Oops, sorry, heh heh. I didn't see you there."

Dick shook his head vigorously trying to shake the thoughts away as he quickly looked down. "N-no, it's okay. I should've been more aware of where I was." He smiled sheepishly. "You know what, I think I'll go and…er…" he gestured his hands everywhere, nervous and lost for words, all thought escaping him, he couldn't think of anything to say. Luckily Kory had spoken at that moment.

"A swim?" She simply assumed he was motioning to the sea.

"Yeah, that! I think I might wanna try diving from that huge cock, ROCK, ROCK! Yeah, rock. Diving from the rock…" If he didn't leave now he knew he'd say something far worse...if it could get any worse. "I'm…gonna go now," he said with a hesitated laugh, making a move to go but waiting for her response.

After taking a moment to process his peculiar behavior Kory shrugged and got back to fiddling with another bunch full of coconuts before plainly replying, "Okay. Have fun," and sensed him leave._"Must've inhaled something and gotten high."_

-

The Anders household was bustling with servants going about their daily routines, arranging this, preparing that, everything was going about as normal, though as much as everyone tried to carry on as normal the aura wasn't the same. A maid scurried to the kitchen with a desolate sigh as she went to fetch something that the lady of the house requested for. With every request made there had been a sense of apprehension fulfilling them. The strangest things were being asked for by her, and that disturbed the entire staff at the Anders' household.

The maid rushed out just as Myan walked by, stopping to gaze in a mixture of bewilderment and slight annoyance at what she was holding. "She's…asking for _that_ again?"

The maid blushed for two reasons; one, for bumping into the head of the household, and the other, that he had witnessed what she was carrying.

"I'm afraid so, sir. She insisted this time, and when we advised against it she became…." She hesitated to continue, but gathered her nerve to finish at Myan's expectant look. "Testy."

"I see," he replied gravely.

The maid nodded shyly. "She said the baby was hungry."

Myan sighed and took the bottle, dismissing her away before going upstairs to see his wife. Once there he spied Lou-Anne sitting in a room that looked much like a nursery. There was a small crib settled near the window, and stuffed animals were littered along the window sills and on the dresser. Lou-Anne sat in a rocking chair holding a small doll in her arms humming a soft lullaby. Myan would notice from time to time she would glance down at it and hug it lovingly to her chest as though it would disappear soon.

Cautiously he walked inside and closed the door behind him, setting the bottle of milk on the dresser. He approached Lou-Anne and knelt down to her placing his hand on her knee. She had a dazed look in her eyes and seemed to be humming faintly, her ghostly expression giving him more cause for concern.

"Lou-Anne honey, how are you feeling today?"

"The baby is hungry, she needs to feed." Her voice was soft and barely a whisper.

With a sigh Myan tried once again to bring her back to reality, as he had tried to do so many times before. "Sweetie, you're holding a doll."

"Why do you always say that?" she said turning to face him. "Why won't you accept your daughter, you can't deny her forever," she shifted her gaze back to the bundle in her arms with a dreamy look. "You can't deny our little Kory."

"But that's not Kory."

"Of course it's Kory," she snapped, her head shooting back to him. "I know my own baby, and now she's hungry. I'm just waiting for her milk."

Dejectedly, Myan stood and went to get the bottle he put on top of the dresser and handed it to his wife. He felt bad about encouraging her fantasies this way but at the moment her behavior was unpredictable, and he didn't want her to throw an unexpected fit.

"Lou-Anne, this has got to stop," he urged as he watched her take the bottle and feed it to the doll. "Sweetie, please."

She responded by continuing her humming as she fed her 'baby'. Seeing as that was all he was going to get from her he left her side to take a seat in another chair nearby to watch her. She'd been like this ever since they told her they had abandoned the search for Kory all that time ago…

_**Flashback**_

_Karen and Ryan were just finishing breakfast with their mother at their huge dining table. Myan had left for his study moments ago and was on the phone with someone they had figured was another business associate. _

"_You done with that waffle, Kar?" Ryan asked, gesturing to the half eaten piece of waffle._

"_**No.**__ Keep to your own plate, you little worm!"_

"_Karen," Lou-Anne warned, lowering her coffee cup to peer an eye at her first born. "Don't you think it's a bit early for name calling?"_

"_Tell him!" Karen complained. "He's the one who's begging for leftovers like a mangy dog."_

"_Ruff, ruff," Ryan mocked earning himself a hard glare from Karen._

_Suddenly his cell phone began to sound in that annoying ring tone everyone loathed, stirring as it vibrated on the mahogany table. If he had looked at his sister just then he would've seen the evil glint in her eye, so he hardly saw it coming when__Karen made a grab for the phone, engaging in a little wrestling match before it was she that claimed it. With a triumphant look paired with that same evil glint she pressed 'TALK', placing it to her ear. Ryan seethed in anger, but then the blood drained from his face when he heard what his sister said as she answered the call._

"_Hello Angelina," she purred, making sure not to miss one bit of her little brother's reaction. "How are you this fine morning?" _

_With the deadliest glare he could make Ryan made an attempt to snatch his phone back, but missed as she was quicker. He didn't trust his sister talking to his girlfriend one bit. "Give it back, Karen. I mean it!"_

"_Oh, you wanted to talk to Ryan? Actually he's not done eating yet, he gets hungry a lot and-" Karen swerved again just as her brother swatted her but missed by inches, cursing under his breathe._

"_Karen! I'm not playing here!"_

_She ignored him, continuing to dodge and duck at every turn. "Yeah well, he's a growing boy and…" she looked him up and down then shook her head disapprovingly, "…still has a looong way to go. But you know, I read something about boys with big appetites, and according to research, food isn't necessarily the solution. Oh no,__**their**__ kind of hunger is asking for something else, and…well, I guess this is where you come in, in 'little' Ryan's case anyway." She made sure to put emphasis on the word 'little' knowing that her brother would be hanging on every word. There was a pause, and Karen's smirk deepened while she lowered her voice to a sultry tone. Ryan thought she looked like a female version of the Grinch. "Oh, you want to know how. I thought you'd never ask. Well Angie, one way you could cure his insatiable hunger is by-"_

_That was it before she felt Ryan jump on her and snatch the phone from her grasp. "You witch! You're gonna wish you hadn't done that." Ryan glared before going into another room to take his call. _

"_Ooh I'm so scared, of Ryan the little baby, wah," she mocked after he was gone._

_Lou-Anne sighed and shook her head. "Honestly Karen, when will you stop picking on your little brother? You know he's going to attempt to get his revenge on you, don't you?"_

"_Oh please, what could that dweeb possibly do anyway? I could do a lot worse to him."_

_Anything else Lou-Anne would say was interrupted as Myan entered the dining hall with a solemn look etched upon his features. Upon noticing her husband Lou-Anne immediately stood up. He took slow steps towards her and touched her arm. "There's something I need to tell you all," then looking around he asked, "Where's Ryan?"_

"_He's in the middle of a phone call in the other room. Darling, what's happened?" she asked, her voice laced with concern._

"_Have Ryan here first."_

_She nodded and had told their butler to fetch him immediately. As soon as they were all present Myan cleared his throat to break the news._

"_I just got off the phone with the leader of the search party that was out looking for Kory, before that I was speaking to the Captain." He looked down to take a deep breathe to clear his voice, but it still sounded choked and raw with emotion. "The rescue team is coming back."_

_The others exchanged looks of puzzlement. "What does that mean?"_

"_It means Ryan…that they've stopped the search for your sister."_

_Both siblings gasped, while Lou-Anne's hand flew to her mouth whispering to herself, $"It can't be."_

"_They're giving up? No way dad, she could still be out there." The shock had made Ryan stagger back. "I don't believe this," he murmured, "it's only been a week, how can they give up so soon?"_

"_Didn't you say she had a lifejacket," Karen choked out, "and what about that other guy you mentioned, wasn't he supposed to be with her?"_

"_Honey, it's all speculation, for all we know he may not have even seen her fall in the water."_

"_But two lifejackets were missing," Karen argued._

"_They may have taken it at separate times, Karen," Myan countered half heartedly, not even convincing himself of his argument._

"_But that doesn't make any sense, why would she purposely take a lifejacket and dive into the water?"_

"_Maybe she was so tired of her life she wanted to get away," Ryan muttered as he met his father's stare. "Maybe you shouldn't have forced that engagement on her, dad, then perhaps she'd still be with us." With that last solemn, regretful look he left the dining room._

_Karen realized he may be right, she never did think it was fair to put Kory through an arrangement like that, no matter how annoying she found her to be. Karen looked at her father in disapproval and shook her head before she too made herself absent. Only Lou-Anne remained who had taken a seat still trying to absorb the news. Myan regarded her sadly and went to put his hand on her shoulder._

"_Darling?"_

"_It can't be, it just can't be. Why have they stopped searching so soon?"_

"_I know Lou, but there's nothing I can do."_

_That's when she stood and brushed his contact away. "Nothing you can do, nothing you can __**do**__?! Our daughter is lost…and there's nothing you can do?"_

_He tried to approach her but she shoved him away from her. "You don't think I tried, you think I just accepted this when they told me? I told them it was too early to give up but-"_

"_Myan, you have power, you can make them continue until they find our baby."_

"_Sweetie, as much as I do want to find her it doesn't work like that."_

"_Well how does it work, huh?" she snapped. Do you have to have another one of those business meetings just to decide whether we're to look for her or not?"_

"_Honey, calm down-"_

"_Calm…" she sobbed, "like you're being calm, right? Like it doesn't matter to you." She sat down again breaking out in more sobs while Myan handed her a napkin._

"_It matters a lot to me, Lou-Anne please…"_

"_I'm sorry Myan, I need to be alone." He watched her stand and leave heading towards the hallway, before she paused and turned her head to regard him and gave him the final blow. "So much for being an Ambassador," and she was gone._

Lou-Anne had cried for hours locked up in her room, no matter how much her husband had tried to coax her out of there. The news had torn her apart so much that she retreated to her own world, a world where she wouldn't have to deal with the painful agony of the truth. Gradually she descended into a trance-like state where she heard only what she wanted to hear, saw only what she wanted to see. That was when the doll had appeared one day in her lap, Myan had noticed she named it Kory, she would cradle it in her lap as she would gently rock it to sleep whispering words of love. He tried to take it away at one point but she threw into such a rage he didn't know what to do except quickly give it back. Her behavior was so startling and different that it frightened him, so he managed to get her to a specialist and have her checked out. She'd been seeing the doctor twice a week since then. He had to lie, much to his regret, just to get her there, saying the baby was due for a check up. It was the only way he could convince her to go.

"_Hush little baby, don't say a word…"_

He closed his eyes at hearing his wife's gentle singing, he didn't know how much longer this would go on, and knowing he had to leave her soon to go with Bruce. He had mentioned to his family that he would be away on a trip, but he had kept the true reason a secret. With Lou-Anne's current state he couldn't risk her psychological health by raising her hopes most of all only to bring them crashing down if the worst came to worst, that would send her in the pit of eternal despair. He didn't think he could tell Karen and Ryan the truth either, they hadn't been the same with him ever since that day, and mostly avoid seeing him if they could. Best that he kept most of the details to himself until he was certain of the truth about his missing daughter.

A rap at the door disturbed his thoughts once again, and before he could answer a head peered inside. "Sir, is there anything else Mrs. Anders would like?"

Myan stared at Mary, the head servant. Mary was a middle aged woman who had kind, gentle features. The children loved her; she was their best friend as she had been with the family for years. Her husband had died a long time ago and every year the Anders children would celebrate Mary's wedding anniversary with her. It was always a simple and solemn affair, they would visit the gravesite where her husband rested and place flowers on the tomb offering words of love and express their appreciation for Mary.

"Her appointment with the doctor is next week, have my brother Galfore accompany her there as I'll be leaving for a trip soon."

Nodding once Mary shifted her gaze towards Lou-Anne and opened the door further.

"_Rock a-bye-baby on the tree top, when the wind blows the cradle will rock…"_

"She still thinks that doll is Kory, doesn't she?" Mary sighed.

Myan didn't answer. "You were with us when Kory was born, weren't you, Mary?"

If the sudden question caught her off guard, she didn't show it. "I believe I was, sir."

"Back when she found out she was pregnant with her I thought I had seen her at her happiest, especially after that last miscarriage and the doctors telling us there was a slim chance of her getting pregnant again, only to find out that we would have our second child after all.

He leaned back in his chair, his voice raw with emotion.

"Lou-Anne couldn't contain her joy, she was on the phone to every relative she knew."

"I remember all too well," Mary smiled and walked in further, closing the door gently.

"She cherished all our children, Mary, with all the love she could offer. She taught me how to appreciate the simple joys that a simple family togetherness could bring," his face then held a somber expression, remembering how he would propose to take them all out for ice cream, or go kite flying in the days of Fall, or everyone's favorite, seeing the fireworks display from the gardens of the White House. He felt guilty as he was unable to recall the last time he spent just being with them all, listening to his children's laughing, with the occasional bickering they usually fell into, Lou-Anne smiling lovingly at him, and those family discussions were all to entertaining with a mixture of colorful opinions on various topics they would sometimes fall into.

It was all about image, that's what he had always said; he worked so hard wanting to give his family a deserving life but in the midst of things he lost his way, and what did have to show for it, a missing daughter and a once loving wife reduced to almost…nothing. "It's all my fault," he said bowing his head between his legs.

"You still blame yourself for what happened that fateful day, don't you Mr. Anders."

"I hadn't given enough attention to my family. If I wasn't so focused on other things…" he lifted his head up and gave a huge sigh. "Oh Mary, it's been almost two months yet it feels like two years, and it only seems to be getting harder."

"Miss Kory's disappearance has caused the light of this family to dissipate…" Mary choked on a sob, "not to mention the entire household's. We all miss her very much."

Myan regarded her a moment, staring in thought. It was evident Kory's friendly manner had extended to the staff of their home, making them feel like part of the family. It was no wonder why there was an instant change of demeanor in them once they too realized that Kory wasn't going to be found. His family obviously lost faith in him, but he couldn't help wondering if his staff, or even Mary, contemplated him as a letdown.

"_Failure, Myan, is in a sense the highway to success, as each discovery of what is false leads us to seek earnestly after what is true."_

Bruce's words played in his head as if someone had homed in on his thoughts in an effort to remind him of that ultimate possibility of hope. "Failure…the highway to success…" he murmured.

Mary assumed he was addressing her as he was looking in her direction, but not quite all there. "I beg your pardon, sir?"

"…discovery of what is false, leading us to seek what is true…"

"I'm afraid I don't quite understand, sir," and then to her surprise he stood up and ushered her out of the room into a more quiet area where no one could listen in. Holding her by her forearms he stared straight into her eyes.

"I need to ask you something Mary, something very important. Do you think Kory is dead?"

Mary was bewildered. "E-e-excuse me?"

"Kory. Do you think she's dead, or is she still out there?"

Silence. Stunned silence.

"From your heart, tell me what you feel?"

She thought deeply for a moment before she replied. "I feel…she's alive. Yes…I feel that she is…somewhere…alive."

Myan smiled. "That's what I feel too, and that's why I'm leaving to find her."

Soon everything clicked. "The trip with Mr. Wayne…you mean that's where you're going?" A hint of a smile touched her lips. "You're going to look for Kory?"

"That's right, but no one is to know about this, understand? Not Lou-Anne, the children, no one. We need to make sure we find her first."

Mary nodded once and then noticed he held a somber expression. "And in case…anything should happen…take care of them while I'm gone," he choked out.

"Of course, Mr. Anders."

He let go of her arms then, and she watched him walk down the hallway, most likely going to his study.

-

"Favorite color."

"Blue. Worst food."

"Peas. First date."

"Can't remember."

"Can't, or won't?"

"What can I say, there's been a lot of them."

"Playboy," she accused.

"Princess," he shot back, earning him a cute smile from her.

"Now was that a compliment or an insult?" she asked sweetly.

"Is Playboy a compliment?" he asked cheekily, noticing the slight coloring in her cheeks.

"Okay, my turn, since you won't answer the last one," said Kory, deciding to continue. "_Worst_ date."

Dick grimaced and shook his head. "That has got to be Kitten."

Kory looked puzzled. "Kitten? Please tell me that's not an actual animal and that you dated…eww."

"You've never heard of Kitten?" Dick asked in surprise. "As in Kitten Moth, daughter of Cornelius Moth, owner of Moth Industries?"

And then realization dawned in her eyes. "Oh, her. Blonde hair, blue eyes, not that tall," she asked looking to Dick for confirmation. "I thought her name was something else."

"Yeah well, she prefers Kitten," he sighed.

Kory began smirking like a Cheshire cat and decided to dig into his past a bit more. "So, what happened with her? I thought you would like a blonde."

"Not this blonde, she's the most annoying person I've ever met. I knew that even before I agreed to date her."

"_Agreed_?"

"Yeah, Bruce roped me into it; he had to meet with her father for dinner and dragged me along as a date for Kitten. Dad said I had to go and that there was nothing he could do about me being the brat's victim…yeah right. Man, he even gets to turn my social life into business."

"Aw come on, don't be so hard on your dad, he was probably no happier than you were about the arrangement."

He leaned back on the rock he was perched on and sighed. "Actually, it was Daddy Moth who insisted. You know, I'm willing to bet Kitten put him up to this whole deal just to get her over-manicured hands on me."

"Sounds like she's got it bad for you," Kory smirked.

"Like a blood sucking leech. Did you know she calls me like…twenty times a day?"

"Wow, she has that much free time?" She said mildly, reaching behind her to scratch her back.

Ignoring her comment Dick continued. "Hearing her talk about…whatever, and that voice, ugh, it gives me a headache. I think she got to Bruce that night too because he suggested her and me take a walk while our dads discuss business. He does _not_know what I had to deal with for half an hour; the guy owes me big time. And as if that's not enough she keeps asking me where I'm taking her on our next date, _and_ what I think she should wear."

"So how many dates _did_ you take her on?"

"After the business dinner, just one."

"You let her charm convince you to take her out again?"

He remained staring out to the waters, but he could hear the smile in her voice. "More like I was _forced_ by her charm," he gritted out through his teeth.

She laughed then. "Come on, is she really that bad?"

He swiveled his head to face her. "Haven't you been listening? She's a nightmare, possessive and manipulative, every bit like her father. I would rather be stranded on an island…." then he paused, smiling at the truth of his statement and added, "…with a beautiful, sophisticated young lady such as yourself."

_That_ caught her off guard, so much that she couldn't turn away as he held her gaze captive with his, that and the murmur of his voice intoxicating her senses. Oh how she just wanted to reach for him and-

"You okay?" he asked when she hadn't responded in a while.

She quickly averted her gaze. "Fine," she replied quickly. "It's your turn to ask me something."

"Okay." He tilted his head back thinking hard about his next question, and then…"Weirdest thing that ever happened to you."

"Weirdest thing? Hmm, I don't remember anything weird ever happ-" Dick saw an expression of shock hit her face as he began to anticipate the details he so wanted to hear. "Oh yes, now I remember." Then leaning in close she lowered her voice and murmured, "I was hit on by a woman…dressed as guy."

"Oh. My. God. Seriously?" he exclaimed, drawing back instantly.

Kory nodded.

"So what happened?"

"Oh no. No, no, no, I promised myself I would never reveal…no that was just _too_ weird."

"Awww come on, not even for me?" he teased, scooting closer and giving her his most innocent childlike face.

"I'm not falling for that," she glanced at him, "no matter how cute you look right now."

Still he kept his expression, moving closer until he was resting his chin on her shoulder. Kory was determined not to let him get to her, but it wasn't easy. Her eyes shot open even wider as soon as she was feeling him nuzzling her neck and making tiny whimpering noises. This was embarrassing; she didn't like that it affected her more than it did him, when he should be the one feeling awkward and strange, being so close, his breath touching her, his warm skin caressing hers…

"Oh alright, you win!" she said, shoving him off. "Just sit back over there Mister."

He chuckled amusedly as he settled himself. "I'm all ears."

Huddling her knees together Kory cleared her throat. She couldn't believe she was going to do this. "Okay well, here goes. My sister and I snuck out to a club one night, it was my first time and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about."

"I thought you told me you and your sister never got along, how come she helped you sneak out to a club?"

Kory shrugged. "I guess she wanted me to do something outrageous just to get some leverage on me. So anyway, as soon as we get there we go our own separate ways; Karen goes off to dance while I sit at the bar because I wanted to keep a low profile."

"At a place like that I don't think anybody could miss noticing the Ambassador's daughters," scoffed Dick.

"We had disguises on," she said matter of factly. "It's okay, we thought of everything. So, I was at the bar with a soda when I notice a guy come up to me and ask if I needed another drink. We get talking and everything seems normal, you know, nothing out of the ordinary."

"How did you know he was a woman?"

She shook her head embarrassingly then. "Well, later on while I'm listening to his ramblings, that's when it happens. I hear a group of people behind me chanting 'red wine, red wine,' I look around and they're pointing and laughing in our direction. I don't understand at first but then I look back to the guy that was with me, and what did I see…his white pants were stained from the front…in red!"

Dick's jaw dropped. "So the red stuff was…I think I'm gonna be sick," he said as his hand shot to his mouth.

"I told you it was weird," she chuckled.

"I'll never doubt you again," he said, shifting on his seat breathing heavily. "It was a good thing no one recognized you, you don't want to be involved in another scandal."

Kory immediately turned serious. "What do you mean another scandal?"

"Well, wasn't there that thing about you and the Mayor's son?"

"Oh please don't get into that," Kory groaned rolling her eyes. "That was just an honest misunderstanding. I'm not surprised you heard about that. Did you see the picture?"

"Yes," Dick replied casually.

"What did you think?"

"Well at first glance it probably did seem provocative, but after a closer look I didn't think there was much scandal to it after all. I mean, it was just a kiss on the cheek."

"It was **not** a kiss."

"Why are you being so defensive?" he questioned, raising his eyebrows.

She sighed. "Sorry, automatic reaction. You have no idea how much everyone hounded me after that. But what I meant was, he was trying to talk close to my ear, making it only look from a distance that it was a kiss. Trust me, I'm not his type."

"Yeah, well anyway, I decided to believe against the rumors and forget everything that was said about you." Her eyes widened at him. "I've had my fair share of bad experiences with the press too, I know what they're like, twisting everything into their own little fantasies."

He didn't know it then but he had touched her heart.

"Thanks," she replied softly. "My only regret is that my dad wasn't as understanding as you. He never really believed me when I told him nothing happened, he banned me from talking to Scott, not that we ever really talked in the first place. He was too different, we would've never been made for each other, I wouldn't even call us friends. Acquaintances, yeah…but not friends."

"So, you don't have any friends…at all?" So far, apart from her grandmother, she hadn't mentioned anyone she particularly considered close, which made him wonder whether she had any companionable contacts.

"The closest thing I have to a friend is Bee,' she reminisced with a sigh, "my Self Defense teacher. She's been teaching me everything from Kick Boxing to Tai Kwon Do."

"That explains your little kick-ass demonstration when you got mad at me for ruining your shoes," he said, unconsciously rubbing his limbs.

"Sorry about that," she chuckled, "I guess I still have a lot to learn about patience and self control." She spread her legs out in front of her making herself more comfortable. "My parents don't know about Bee, or that I've taken her classes, I've never told anyone."

"Would it really be so bad if your family knew?"

"Dick, they make me keep these things from them. They make me sneak around like I'm doing something illegal, when all I'm doing is pursuing my own interests. You don't know what it's like, I can't even express myself freely, at least not without being criticized for it."

"How long have you had these classes?"

"About eight months."

"Wow, and nobody knows?"

She shook her head. "Though I'd been scared I wouldn't be able keep it a secret for long, once I'm married my fiancé will know for sure and…goodbye classes…goodbye friend."

Fiancé. He didn't know why but that word made him cringe. It was the most unusual feeling he'd ever had, she'd mentioned it before and even then it had started out with a small ping of envy. Now he felt it was growing.

"Whoever he is, I hope he likes me enough to be my friend, that is if he can't bring himself to love me."

Yes, it was definitely growing before he realized it was…jealousy. "Oh hell no."

"What?" Kory asked, puzzled.

"N-nothing, he stuttered. "It was nothing," then he groaned, "It's just that I remembered I still got to finish the trails I've been trekking through."

"How many have you trekked so far?"

"Three," he said rising to stretch. "At least once I'm done making paths across the island we'll know our way around."

Clambering down from the rocks he shook his legs to wake them up a bit.

"Are you going to start on those now then?" she asked casually, looking down from where she was still perched.

"Yeah, I'll be back before dusk to make the fire." She nodded. "And don't go trying to do it yourself, wouldn't want you to injure yourself now would we, Princess?"

She giggled. "Well then you'd better teach me soon, I intend to learn one way or the other."

He smiled in return and began walking away.

"Hey…er…Dick?"

He stopped and turned around. "Yeah?"

"Be careful while you're out there …I worry that's all."

He considered her a while before he charmed her with a smile and said, "Sure thing, princess," before continuing off towards the forested area.

* * *

**_Oh yes, before I forget, check out my poll on my profile page._ **

* * *


	9. Seeing that all they ever wanted

_I know what you're gonna say, and before you do, I just need to tell you this. All my stories were on my USB drive but something happened to it and it's broken now. I don't know what to do. Can anyone spare a hug? I'm so depressed because I lost a lot more than my stories. I had a bunch of articles that I had written for my local newspaper, so that's gone too. And I know my updates are too long to wait for, believe me I know, so you're getting a little treat this chapter. After all, I owe you all, don't I?_

_By the way, the quote I used about destiny is by someone called Anna Hoxie. No, I don't know who she is, but it's a good quote though, at least I think so._

_And credit goes to Kryalla Orchid for helping me with the name of Kory's grandmother. Thanks a lot Kry!_

_And last but not least, BIG congratulations go to Merry Monarch for being the 100th reviewer! I still can't believe I have 100 reviews, I've never had 100 anything. So, on with the show!_

* * *

**Chapter 9:**** They would see that all they dream of**

'Princess.' She'll never get tired of that. As she watched her companion stride off into the green wilderness she couldn't help but feel longing for his return, for her…prince? Why not? After all he _was_ considered the Prince of Gotham, but they weren't in Gotham anymore now, were they? Now that they were on a different turf did she have any right to claim him? Could the Prince of Gotham become…the Prince of her heart?

_He already has._ An unexpected little voice sounded inside her.

At this sudden revelation Kory abruptly stood up and found her breath coming in short, ragged gasps. "No way, I can't. I'm not falling for him, I can't fall for him, we're just friends…and friends we should stay," she murmured.

But try as she might she couldn't ignore that pang of a feeling that drummed deep within her heart, rumbling like a once dormant volcano. A walk, that's what she needs, a relaxing walk to calm her nerves. It would give her something to do and keep her occupied.

-

"How big _is_ this island anyway?" Dick mumbled to himself as he slashed another batch of leaves out of the way, it felt like he'd been out there for hours. He resolved to try and get as far as he could today before it got too dark, after all he didn't want to worry Kory. He did miss her though, he would've brought her along too, but thought it would be best not to risk her life. After that run in with the cobra there's no telling what other dangers lurked around, he was just glad he could save her that time before he lost her completely. Why was it he couldn't stop thinking about her? He figured trekking the island would take his mind busy but it seemed to be doing the exact opposite.

_You want her. _There was that voice again.

"No, I don't."

_You need her._

"No," he grunted, pushing his way through the forest.

_You can't deny what's inside._

He trudged on before coming to a complete stop, the echoes of his thoughts still ringing in his ears. "But I…I…"

_Make her yours._

"She's taken."

_Make her yours._

"We're just friends."

_Make her yours._

This was ridiculous, who thinks about someone this much that they start hearing voices? Honestly, it's not as if she were thinking of him at this very moment.

-

Kory was looking into the waters at her reflection holding up her hair in a certain way, experimenting with different styles she could come up with. She'd hardly given this much thought to how she looked before and now out of the blue she had never been more conscious about her appearance to impress a certain someone. As for her relaxing stroll all her thoughts had been consumed by images of Dick; the way his chest glistened in the sun, how his butt looked when he walked, the way his smile melted her on the spot. As she tried out different hairstyles she caught sight of her hands that now had an almost visible scar from when she tried to make fire. He had taken such care healing her wounds with gentleness, being delicate with her as if she were glass. An odd sensation had settled within her at the time when he was so close to her, but now she was wishing for that closeness again.

"Wait, what am I doing?" She asked herself as realization dawned upon her. "I'm worrying over whether he'll notice how I look, and after us both agreeing on friendship? I shouldn't even be thinking about him, not like that…so why can't I stop?"

She sighed, she didn't know what had gotten into her lately. It wasn't enough that her fantasies came to torture her at night. Yes, he had come to her in her dreams, dreams of an adult nature, of sinful secrets that she couldn't imagine herself doing, yet it all felt so…right.

"Oh Dick," she moaned, before realizing what she was saying, quickly clamping her hands over her mouth to stop another word of her fantasies from escaping her treacherous lips. _"There's got to be a better solution to this."_

-

He may as well face it, there was no turning back from what he felt, and he knew he couldn't fool himself about it anymore. He liked her, he wanted her, he wished he could take her and kiss her like there was no tomorrow. It was coming close to dusk now and he was mentally exhausted. He'd finished battling with his conscience, posing as the little voice inside his head, not liking that it had won, and now he couldn't find himself to go back in the apprehension of facing…_her_, the object of his fantasies. How could he even be ready for that? But then what was the point in putting it off, he'd have to face her sometime. Just as he was about to turn back he heard something faintly in the distance. Curiosity prevailed as he went on to find its source, the sound getting louder as he neared. It sounded like…water, gushing water, and when water gushed it usually meant it was something like a…a…he stopped dead in his tracks. This was something he definitely wasn't expecting to see. After making sure he wasn't hallucinating he raced back to the beach as fast as he could to get Kory.

-

"_I wonder what's taking him so long, he did say he'd be back before dusk," _Kory thought to herself as she looked over her collection of sea shells. She considered after washing them, she'd make a necklace out of them, and perhaps some ear rings to match, that's when she heard that all too familiar voice calling out.

"Kory! Kory!"

"_I hope he's not being chased by anything dangerous, I've never heard him sound like that before,"_ she thought standing up to meet him.

"You've gotta come here, I want to show you something," he panted when he reached her.

"Don't you think you should rest first and catch your breath? You look exhausted."

"No time," and with that he grabbed her hand and took her to that same spot he discovered.

They sped through the forest, Kory trying to keep up and now also out of breath. "What's…the hurry?" she said, gasping for air.

"It's something you've gotta see. Trust me, you'll love it."

As skeptical as she was she decided she'd do just as he'd say and listen to him. They sped along the trail, Dick getting more excited the closer they got, and anticipating Kory's reaction at the same time. After a while Kory was about to ask if they were lost when all of a sudden, there it was, the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. There, before here, was a hidden oasis. The first thing that met her eyes was the very tall waterfall cascading down a rocky cliff. Her gaze followed the falling water to what surrounded it; beautiful plants and trees that illustrated the scene with a delicate contrast of color and atmosphere. You could sit on the banks nearby and just relax, or waddle, and there was a cliff to the side where you could easily climb to get to the top. If Kory hadn't known any better, she would've thought she was staring at a painting.

Dick noticed every expression that crossed her face as she stared, he was satisfied he got to see this reaction from her. He leant close to her ear and said, "I told you you'd love it."

"I do," she breathed. "It's the most amazing thing I've ever seen, I can't believe you found it."

"I found it for us, now we can really enjoy it here, and look, see over thee?" Kory followed his finger to a bunch of trees. "There's some tasty looking fruit over there, bet you'll be glad to eat something other than fish and crabs, won't you?"

"Or sea weed," Kory mused.

"I think I'll still save some of that for you," he joked, making Kory nudge him playfully.

They noticed that dusk would soon be settling in and it would be too dark to walk back. Kory quickly decided to gather as much fruit as she could for their dinner while Dick surveyed the rest of the area before hearing Kory declare that they should be leaving. Once they had reached the shores they ate on some of the fruit they collected and then parted ways for the night.

Dick lay on his back, his hands supporting his head as a pillow, staring up at the night sky, and thinking about one thing. He finally accepted how he felt, and it was strange because the more he thought about it, the more…happy he was. So now what? He would tell her and make her his, as his conscience had put it, and they would live happily ever after. Yet he still needed to know if Kory felt the same. Come to think of it, why would she even feel anything more than friends, she would probably choke at the idea of getting involved with him in that regard. Sighing in exasperation he rolled to his side closing his eyes. Maybe it wasn't time to tell her yet, in the meantime he would have to deal with the lone fact that he liked her. How the hell was he supposed to do that? He was going out of his mind just coming to terms with how he felt. He was just going to have to try and control himself around her and hope she doesn't catch on. As he drifted off into slumber land, little did he know that Kory was coming to feel the same way.

Kory lay awake that night watching the stars above her. She would have loved to get a closer look at them, stars had always fascinated her ever since she was younger. Maybe there's a place high enough where she could watch them a little closely. If there was a hidden tropical oasis on the island, who knew what else there could be. That would be incredible, she could ask Dick to search around…but who was she kidding? it was lucky he even found the place he just did, he scavenged for days just to find a path through to it, who knew how hard it would be to find a high enough peak just for star gazing. She could never ask such a thing of him, he'd been so sweet to her lately it would be just…wrong. The lingering thought of him suddenly triggered the images again, from the nice ones to the ones that got kind of…erotic. She shook her head vigorously to shake them away, but it was no use, they relented with a vengeance. She sat up with a jolt, the ragged breaths came back and she couldn't quite grasp what was happening. She dared herself to look in the direction of where he would be sleeping and not feel a thing. She looked, and something inside her increased ten-fold. There was a need, a need for…for…

"No, we're friends, only friends. What else can we be? He would never like me…would he?"

She had never felt this way about anyone before, there was something about Dick that hit her, hit her hard, something she couldn't ignore. Why was this such a big deal, she'd had crushes before back home, she would even date them, but they always turned out to be nothing more than Gotham's jerks. Dick however, was a different story, she'd never experienced a crush anything like this, a growing need that clawed at her nerves. What was it about him that she couldn't ignore? She lay back down and closed her eyes deciding forcing her mind to rest, tomorrow would be a new day, but not before one more thought crossed her way. What if she did have…"a life with Dick…hmm, I do like that."

-

The sun shone brightly the next morning while both inhabitants were up and early, eager to explore more of their new found paradise. As they walked the long path through the forest, Dick holding her hand as he led the way, Kory couldn't help but notice his muscular profile from behind. She was so thankful he never wore a shirt as she gaped at him, not realizing she was slightly drooling, until she heard her name being called and they'd suddenly stopped.

"You okay there, Kory?"

"Huh?" she responded hastily shaking away her day dreams.

A small chuckle escaped his lips. "I said, are you okay? I was asking you about your family and you didn't respond."

"My family?" she asked slowly.

"Well, more specifically your grandmother." He carried on walking ahead with Kory in tow. "What was her name?"

"Her name? Oh, it was Kata, Grandma Kata or Kat, it's German, that's where she was born, though she never did tell us what it was short for."

"Kata Anders? Brown eyes with fading red hair, and kinda tall?"

"Why yes. You knew Grandma Kat?"

"I think I met her. Yeah…it was shortly after Bruce adopted me. She came over to see him and that was when she saw me for the first time. She was waiting for Bruce to come down from his study and I was just passing by when she stopped me and called me over. She offered me her condolences for my parents' deaths, a-and, I don't know, I couldn't stop staring at her face. She was so nice, she was the kindest person I'd come in contact with since…" he choked back his tears as the emotions of that day came flooding back. Kory could tell it was getting difficult for him to carry on, yet she was so intrigued to hear the impact her own Grandmother had on him.

"Anyway, she reached out and held part of my face in her hand and told me everything was going to be alright, and then she said: 'The past is like a river flowing out of sight; the future is…"

"an ocean filled with opportunity and delight," Kory finished. "Yes, that's what she would always say to me. You really _did_meet her."

"Yeah," Dick smiled, "and I'm glad I did. What she'd said that day, it was like she truly cared. Some people would just look at me, whispering and talking about me like I was Bruce's pet. Your grandmother though, she was the only one who came to me and treated me like a person, she made me feel like everything _was_ going to be alright, just like she said."

"Wow," was all Kory could breathe. They'd stayed silent after that for a long time till Kory broke the silence. "Is that water I can hear?"

"Should be the waterfall, we're almost there." Kory felt him holding her hand tighter as he led them through a clearing. She liked that he was so protective, the sense that she was his. "_If I were his girlfriend I bet things would be- No, no. I'm getting way ahead of myself again. Control Kori, keep it under control, steady. Think of something else, yeah, something that's a complete turn off. Ryan! That's it. Ryaann's feet? Uh oh, wait, extreme nausea. Think of something else, quick…_ oof_."_

Dick had suddenly stopped making Kory collide in with him, but apparently when she collided she was pasted onto his naked shoulder. _"Hmm, this could work."_

"You okay there, Kor?" Dick asked her, concerned when he looked back.

"Hmm…I mean yeah," she replied quickly. "Of course I am, no prob-" She stopped in mid sentence as she saw his fingers come up delicately to touch the side of her mouth.

"Looks like you have a bit of drool here," he smiled wiping it off gently.

"Drool?!" Kory was horrified. He saw her drool, and to make it worse, he'd just cleaned it off for her. She had never felt so embarrassed in her life. If he didn't think she was pathetic before he would certainly think so now. And since when did she care what he thought?

"Here we are," Dick announced, moving a few stray branches out of the way, making room for a big enough path into the clearing.

"Wow, it looks even better than before," Kory said as she gazed out over their secret sanctuary. "I can't wait to go and explore some more."

"Yeah, me neither. Come on, let's go check it out."

-

Kory splashed around excitedly in the glistening water, letting the sprays from the waterfall shower over her head. Dick watched her intently from the banks of the river, not wanting to take his gaze away nor disturb her child-like antics. They had been diving from the cliff turn by turn, until Dick had decided he would sit on the banks and just watch. They had ventured the area, following wherever their curiosity would take them, tasting the different kinds of fruit along the way, but their favorite had been discovering the hidden cave behind the waterfall. Kory called it cozy, to which Dick gave a nervous smile to, squashing yet another erotic thought that jumped out of nowhere. Now he watched her preparing to dive again from the cliff's edge. She waved to him before taking a big leap and dove, making a big splash. He saw her bob up to the surface while removing her hair away from her face.

"Yah! Good one, Kory!" he cheered.

Kory gave him a winning smile, flattered by his praise. It was a shame he decided to hold off on the diving, it was fascinating to watch his form, she could see every muscle move from the time he leapt till the time he hit the water. Her mouth curved into a grin as she slowly paddled towards Dick and climbed out. He didn't miss a thing as she dripped heavily with water while she slowly strolled towards him. He couldn't help but be mesmerized by her image. _"Man, how am I supposed to keep my control if she looks so…so…provocative?"_

Stopping before him with hands on hips she asked, "Well? Are you just going to sit here and let the hours pass you by?"

"What do you mean? Can't a guy just sit here and relax?" he said mildly. He really didn't want to be this close to her, especially at this point when he was having such trouble with his raging hormones. He wanted to wait till they'd at least died down.

"Come on," she said grabbing his arm, "Come diving with me."

Alarm bells rang in his head as the contact drove him crazy. "I'm okay right here. You go and I'll watch."

"But it's no fun without you. Pleeaaasssee."

She managed to pull him up and drag him towards the cliff, deaf to Dick's protests every step of the way. "Kory I-"

"Oh, stop being such a baby," she giggled.

"But Kory…" They reached the top and were getting closer to the edge where they would dive from. It was no use, she wouldn't listen, and his control was coming to breaking point. Something was going to give very soon if he didn't do something.

"Kory, would you just stop and…Kory!" She halted, cringing at the sudden sternness in his voice. As soon he saw her expression he immediately regretted it, she looked scared like someone who was going to get grounded. He turned away from her not able to look her in the eye. There was no going back now, he had to tell her. "Look Kory, there's something's that's been bugging me a lot lately and to tell you the truth…I can't stand it anymore."

"Is it something I did?" came her shaky response.

"No…no it's not anything you did Kory, though it is about you."

"I don't understand."

How was he supposed to tell her, talking about his feelings was something he hadn't had practice in, but he sure as hell knew when they messed around with him. "It's just that…well you see…Kory I…"

"What is it you wanted to tell me?" She had to admit, this was getting pretty scary. She wasn't sure if she even wanted to know.

As for Dick, he still hadn't faced her yet, he was still contemplating how to tell her what was in his heart. But perhaps he didn't have to tell her. No, he knew exactly what to do. He finally turned around to see her and taking the two steps that would reach her. Slowly he raised her chin with his finger to look him in the eye, taking a few moments to be lost in her beautiful eyes. He lowered his face to hers and made their lips meet in their first kiss.

Kory was already frozen from the moment he turned around, and when she felt his lips on hers they sent her soaring to new heights she'd never imagined. Her eyes closed of their own accord as she kissed him back, feeling more intoxicated with every passing moment. He felt her there right with him as she tasted and explored until the tempo mellowed down and they broke apart. As he watched her drift back to reality a look of shock and concern crossed her face. She immediately stepped away from him shaking her head 'no'. Dick noticed and tried to approach her.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"I-I need to go, I need to be alone." Dick couldn't understand what was wrong. "Please I…I just need to be alone." And she ran past him off the cliff and into the wilderness.

He stared after her not really understanding the events that took place. What just happened? It was only a kiss, nothing more than that, and from what he recalled she seemed to be enjoying it too, she was right there with him.

"_Nice one Grayson, you really know how to mess things up." _ He knew he shouldn't have done it, now he'd gone and scared her off. She was probably half way back…by herself…alone…back the way they came…does she even remember the way they came? She could get lost, and who knows what kinds of things she could run into…and what could happen to her. He bolted.

-

The wind rushed by her ears traveling past her and kicking the waters to make delicate waves along the coastline as Kory tried to comprehend her predicament. What had just happened? How could she _let_ it happen? She should have been more on her guard, should have been careful, should have been-

"Hey."

Kory jumped. No, she couldn't deal with this right now. As she turned her gaze to him she noticed he was out of breath, his hair disheveled, and his chest rising visibly in and out. He looked amazing, like…Hercules. _"There I go again. Alright, get it together now."_ After scolding herself she gathered the nerve to speak.

"You're…panting."

"I was worried about you, I followed you to make sure you're okay, getting back here, I mean."

"Well as you can see, I'm still alive."

"But you're not okay." She turned her back on him. "Kory, I really am sorry. I should never have kissed you, but I couldn't stop myself. You have no idea what it's been like these past few weeks…no, months."

"Dick," she choked out.

"Was it really that bad? Because if it was then I'll never try that again, _heaven help me._ We can pretend it never happened."

"No, no it wasn't that. It's not that at all."

"It's not? Then…what was it?"

"You won't understand, you'll think it's silly if I tell you."

"No, I won't, scouts honor. Just tell me."

"Alright," she agreed quietly, and cleared her throat. "Here the thing, I don't like anyone thinking I'm vulnerable or weak…"

"But Kory…"

Kory held up her hand to which Dick immediately fell silent to. "You asked me to explain and that's exactly what I'm doing, please don't make this any harder than it already is. When we kissed, it was the best kiss I'd ever had, in fact, I don't ever remember being kissed like that before."

A surge of jealousy ran through him as he tried to imagine the number of people who'd had their own lip lock session with her. She continued on as her gaze shifted to the sea gulls flying by the rocks where they would both sit to watch the sunsets.

"But with us I felt like you could see every side to what I am, the good_and_ the bad…and that scared me. However, the worst thing that I thought from that kiss was that you would see how desperate and needy I came off as. I never intended for you or _anyone_ to see that. I don't want to be desperate, I don't want to be weak…though now after what happened, you probably think I am."

"No, that's what _you_ think." He saw her gaze slowly shift back to him as he took two steps to her. "Kory, I've been here on this island with you for two months now, and I have never once thought you to be desperate or needy, or especially vulnerable. I've only looked at you in admiration, you aspire to do so much, you're concerned about the real issues; you want to help people. And I've seen that once you put your mind to doing something you're unstoppable, don't think I haven't caught you trying to make a fire, especially after getting injured trying to make it the first time."

Kory blushed. She couldn't help that she was so eager, in spite of Dick's strict instructions not to attempt it again, she was supposed to wait till she was healed after all.

"Anyway," he said, taking one more step closer, "I don't want you to have to hide anything from me, because I want to be there to face every fear with you head on. I can think of nothing more suitable than to be with you. So what do you say Kory," he held out his hand to her, "Do you trust me?"

Now there was a speech she wasn't going to hear every day. He had laid it all out for her putting his heart on the line. Would she find anyone else who would do that? Though Gotham's young males were attracted to her like wild fire and weren't shy to admit their feelings to her, not one proclamation sounded as genuine as his was. She knew a long time ago that no one could compare to someone like Dick, he was the real deal, and he was the one. She looked into his eyes and they confirmed his every word, and that was all she needed to know.

Her hand reached out and gently placed itself in his, while the wind circled around them as if to symbolize their union. She took that last step towards him and met him in a kiss filled with all her desires, all her dreams, while the worries melted away and nothing was left except pure, sweet bliss. Dick boldly embraced her taking everything she had to offer, while his heart raced at top speed, until they'd finally ceased and broke apart, only to see each other in a new light.

"That was…"

"The best kiss you've ever had?" Dick asked with a smirk.

"It is now," she said as they kissed again.

* * *

_**Had a bit of a Pocahontas thing going on there at the end, with the wind and everything. Well, there it is. They kissed, they're together now. Happy? **_


	10. Someone to have

**Chapter 10:**** Someone to have  
**

It was as if everything had fallen into place while the surrounding area became aware of the development of the island's inhabitants, for it appeared as though the atmosphere had taken on a new aura, like the mass of land had finally awakened and was showing its true magic. And now, harboring the two figures that rested on the banks of the water's edge, it witnessed them at well, probably the most peaceful moment they've ever had.

They had shared a proper, **real** kiss; one that Kory thought was amazing. It felt like hours before they'd finally stopped when Dick proposed they go back to what he dubbed as 'Paradise,' for that's exactly what it was for them: Paradise.

So, there they lay in each other's arms, the red head lay peacefully on her dark haired companion, letting the rise and fall of his chest lull her to sleep. As much as Dick was enjoying having Kory sleep in his arms, he found himself wishing she were awake. He thought maybe she would be in a not so deep sleep, and decided to clear his throat loudly in hopes of jolting her out of her nap. But she remained asleep.

"Kory?" he murmured softly.

Zzzzzz….

Still no answer from the red head.

"Kory? Hey," he coaxed a little more.

"Aw not now mom, it's too early." So she was dreaming, and not just that, but it seemed like she was a sleep-talker. There was someone else who talked in their sleep. Gar! How could he forget? The times he and Vic spent having sleepovers and campouts with him, Gar was always sounding off like he wasn't even asleep. Dick remembered hearing some lines from Star Wars, except it sounded like Gar was the one who pretended to play hero, making swooshing sounds with his imaginary light-saber thing, or whatever it was. It was annoying, so why didn't Gar's faithful friends tell him? Because apparently Star Wars wasn't the only thing he thought about. His subconscious memory had a big mouth when it came to his crushes. Vic swore he would've burst a lung trying desperately not to laugh about his lame pick up lines. For Dick, it would get to the point where he would have to leave due to the kissing and smooching noises. There was no way he was going to listen to Gar make out with his pillow.

"Tell him…tell him to back off. Tell him I have rabies, or I'm moving to another country…I hate pickles. No pickles in my burger!" Random, but still adorable. He wondered if there was any end to her adorable nature as a light chuckle escaped his lips. Funny how she was a sleep-talker, he never expected that, especially after experiencing those awkward moments with his Star Wars-loving friend.

He took a piece of Kory's hair and tickled her nose with it. Her hand swatted away the nuisance making him stop, but only for a little while before he started again. Her nose twitched in that cute way preparing for an oncoming sneeze.

"Ah…ah…achoo!" Her sneezes were cute too he thought, while she rubbed her eyes.

"Oh Dick," she yawned, "I must have dozed off, I was so comfortable. Can't think what made me sneeze though."

"Um...neither can I." He decided not to tell her of his little discovery, giving in to that mischievous streak of his.

"I think I'll stretch out anyway." She began untangling herself from him to move away so she could stretch up. Dick could only watch while his mouth went as dry as the Sahara Desert, as this beauty stretched out her muscles on the ground. He saw how her body curved upwards and the way it extended before his very eyes. It had to be a sin to be pleasured this way watching…_that_, it really was getting to him.

Once she was done and completely unaware of the ordeal she put Dick through, Kory sat up and allowed her vision to adjust, coming into focus on the majestic waterfall cascading over the rocky cliffs and pooling into the sparkling oasis below. It was so beautiful to watch she didn't mind waking up to this every morning.

Dick stared at the emerging smile on her lips, (glad for something else to keep his mind occupied) causing her to notice. "What?"

"Nothing, I just like it when you have that look," he said sitting up next to her. "You seem happy."

Happy. This made Kory wonder about the last time she felt that. Why did it seem so foreign to her? It can't have been that long ago since her father sat with his family to spend a little quality time with them, whether it was to talk about their day, share a few laughs, take an interest in what they did, or just talking. Happiness had drained from their family, and she had to admit, it was something she really missed from time to time, missed _being_ since she was younger. But Dick seemed to awaken what was once dormant and bring her back to life after what was like an eternity. It was a strange feeling at first, perhaps that's why she fought him off the first few times she saw him, after all, she did think he was handsome…_even if he did act like a total moron at first._ She scoffed lightly at that thought.

"What's so funny, Kor?"

"Hm? Oh nothing! So whose turn was it to get dinner?"

-------

So far the weather had been cooperating the entire time they'd been there, except now. The wind had been picking up a lot that day, bringing about a sense of change in atmosphere. A storm was coming.

"Get more coconuts. Make sure that cover we made is ready to shield us. We need leaves, lots of them. More rocks, and don't forget sticks."

That's how it was like for the past few hours. Dick had been endlessly ordering Kory in preparation for the rough weather ahead. Ever since they'd both looked at the sky and concluded there was going to be a storm, there was a complete and sudden change in Dick's character. Kory had been particularly concerned about it. He'd been less responsive, would only give short answers, or ones that cut off any chance of further conversation, it was as almost like he was avoiding her. Did she do something wrong? What was going on? It was unnerving to be around him and not know what the problem was, she felt so useless.

The strong breezes soon turned to gusts, therefore they hadn't much time before they should take shelter in their cave. Dick busied himself making sure the two of them had everything they needed to keep them going through the night as dusk fell. Until now they had both been sleeping separately in their own private areas, but there was no way Dick was letting Kory sleep on her own, not tonight. There was no telling how bad this storm was going to be, they both had to stay safe. It was a stroke of luck finding that cave that Dick was preparing for their refuge, it would help them last the night.

The wind began to howl, meaning it was time to find Kory and get in the cave. He didn't want to hang around in this weather any more than necessary. But where was she…

As soon as Kory sensed the severity of the weather she tried to make her way back as the storm got closer, but through the raging winds and now the harsh rain she was finding that a challenge. She called out to Dick, but she could hardly hear own voice.

_Maybe he's waiting for me at the cave,_ she thought. So with some difficulty she trudged on trying to figure out where it was. She couldn't believe how strong the gusts were, they were making her stumble everywhere. She just had to find her way to the cave where Dick would be waiting for her. _This is harder than I thought._ Yet as she trudged on little did she realize she was heading towards the water…

_Where is she? Where did she go?_ He couldn't see a damn thing. _Oh God, please don't let me lose her. _The ocean water that mixed with the storm made it increasingly difficult to make anything of where he was or where anything else was. He only heard the water.

"KORY! KORY, WHERE ARE YOU?!" _I won't lose you to that storm. Not now, not ever. _"KORY! DAMN IT, WHERE ARE YOU?"

Kory was being splashed from every direction, and because of that she lost her bearings. She knew she was definitely in the water now and feared if she moved she would be cast away out to sea. She remained rooted to the spot out of terror while everything clashed around her…then she heard Dick's frantic voice. Quickly she tried to follow it, but struggled to move.

"DICK! I'M HERE! DICK?" _I hope he hears me. _

The force of the wind finally pushed her on the ground where she stayed, paralyzed, not knowing how to stand back up. Then panic took over and she started to cry thinking the end was near.

_The tide is in and I'm right in the middle of it! I don't think I'm going to make it._

"DICK!" She called one last time and succumbed to her weakness, sinking slowly into the water…

Dick heard her calls and forced himself through trying to find her. Miraculously he found her, and wasted no time in carrying her away to safety.

Dick laid her down and quickly got the fire going. He had to warm her up before she caught a cold or worse. What if she has water in her lungs? Then he would do mouth-to-mouth. Carefully he performed the technique, making sure he was doing it right. He remembered taking lessons at school, but that was a long time ago.

Her body jerked, giving him the queue to turn her body to let the water out before he laid her back down.

_Some time later…_

He frowned at the fact that she was still shivering. She was so weak she became unconscious. That storm certainly did a number on her, any longer and she would've been lost out to sea. He was only glad that he'd gotten to her in time, the last thing he wanted was history to repeat itself. He already hated the storm for ruining his life all those years ago, if only there was something he could've done, then he could…

No. Now was not the time to think about that. Kory needed him, she needed to be warmed up, and since the fire he made wouldn't be going out anytime soon, he decided to take the initiative and hold her tight whilst rubbing her body to generate heat. If she ever makes it out of this she probably won't even forgive him. _I'm sorry Kory._

Still no sign of her waking up yet and Dick was getting worried, time seemed to go by excruciatingly slow. He'd been doing his best keeping her comfortable, whether it was helping he didn't know. Why did he send her out to do all that work for him when he could've done it? Why couldn't he tell her why he didn't like storms? He could've told her, he trusted her enough, but instead he pushed her away just like he did the others. And now because of him her life was in jeopardy. That's when he promised himself that he'd tell her the truth, he owed her that much. As he was contemplating this by the fire he heard a faint whimper and looked up from his crouched position. Wasting no time in rushing by her side he took her hand in his, rubbing her arm with the other.

"Kory?" he called softly.

She stirred and gradually opened her eyes trying to speak. Her voice came out croaked but she managed a smile seeing the only familiar face before her.

"Hey there, sweetie. You really had me worried there, how do you feel?"

"Dick? Oh Dick." She sounded weak and tired. Dick was just glad she was conscious. "The last thing I remember was…getting more of…something or other. It got windy…so windy, and it started to rain. I tried to get back but I couldn't find you. I thought you'd gone without me."

"Leave _you _out there? Kory!" He cupped her cheek lovingly with his hand. "I could never leave you alone out there. Never. I wanted to make sure I found you before I could even think of coming back."

"And you did…or I wouldn't even be here, would I?"

"Don't remind me," he playfully scolded. "Alright, no more talking. You're still very weak so just relax."

The blanket that covered her was one of the things they had made in preparation for the storm. It was made of branches of leaves from a weeping willow and tree sap. Dick tucked her in the blanket and kissed her on her temple. "I'll be right here for you, I promise." With a contented smile Kory closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

The storm raged on outside mercilessly, passing through the island, tearing down whatever it could. Luckily the two inhabitants stayed safe inside the cave, away from the chaotic conditions beyond. Things seemed to look up when Kory started to feel better, Dick immediately insisted she eat and get her energy back, not taking 'no' for an answer, a behavior to which Kory secretly found amusing.

"Where did you learn to take care of someone the way you do?" she questioned. "It's like you worry so much…like I'm a child."

"My mother, I guess," Dick replied faintly.

"Oh…I-I'm sorry, I should have known."

"It's ok," he said. "I don't remember every moment I spent with my parents, but the parts I do remember I've cherished them close. Like with my mom, one time I had chicken pox and she stayed with me throughout the entire time until I was better. She made this soup and I had to drink every last drop…or no video games," he chuckled. "Anyway, she knew what she was doing every time I was sick, I guess her ways kind of rubbed off on me."

Dick seemed to be getting in touch with his feminine side, it was deeply moving, in a nice way of course. She guessed even his adopted father rarely got to see that part of him.

"Kory, I'm sorry I got you into this."

"Into what?" she asked bewilderingly.

"Getting you sick. If I hadn't sent you off to get those supplies you'd be safe."

Kory shook her head and gave a reassuring smile. "Dick, you didn't make me sick, I was just doing my bit, you know?" She saw him visibly relax. "But you _did_ seem somewhat disturbed before. Something was bothering you then, wasn't it?"

Dick couldn't hold his gaze with her and looked away. "Kory," he finally spoke after a while, "I hate storms. They remind me of…of-"

He nervously took her hands in his while he sat in front of her. "My parents died on a night like this.

"I can't remember where we were, but it was a hotel, and we'd been staying there for a while. This one night there was a heavy storm, the place where we were was close to the beach. Suddenly I heard people yelling but I couldn't understand what they were saying. My parents told me they were saying: "Tsunami! Run for your lives!" I saw dad leave, he said he was going to check on something and told us to wait for him inside. We waited, and waited, and then my mom decided to go and see what was taking him so long. I went with her and when we got outside, the place was flooded. We went looking for my dad and saw that he was caught in the current. That's when my mom jumped in after him…

"_Look, there he is Mom," said a young boy not much older than nine. _

_The boy's mother then knelt down to him and told him, "Alright, now you wait here OK? I'll be right back," and before he knew it his mother was in the water swimming towards his dad._

_However he saw they were having trouble handling themselves, and so young Dick Grayson jumped in. "Mom! Dad! I'm coming, hold on!"_

_But the water was ruthless with him too and he found he was quickly getting tired…_

"How did you get out?" asked Kory.

It was one hell of a coincidence he remembers…

_Fighting such a strong current he was losing sight of his parents and losing strength. He held fast onto some floating debris, however he wasn't prepared for its crash course as it collided into something else and sent him hurtling away. Unbeknownst to him was a figure that jumped in and was grabbing his little body, pulling him out to safety. Coughing on all fours he remembered that his parents were still out there._

"_Please," he begged looking into the eyes of his savior, "My parents…."_

_Without another word the man took off and searched for any sign of them, Dick trailing close behind. It seemed hopeless when-_

"_That's them! Mom! Dad!"_

"_Stay here," the man instructed before tearing his shirt and using it as his life line to use in the water. He spied the two figures holding onto each other while Dick's father used his one hand to try and keep them from being swept away. _

_The man swam as far as he could trying to reach out for the couple. Realizing he wasn't far enough he unraveled more of his shirt to get to them. Just a few more yards and he would have them…_

_Young Dick watched, anticipating the moment he'd been waiting for._

_Almost there, yes, soon he'd have them. He reached out his hand signaling them to do the same. It was Dick's mother who made the attempt to grab the man's hand while her husband held their position. Their fingertips brushed each other a few times, but finally they managed to grab a hold and it seemed luck was on their side…_

_It was so unnerving to watch from the sidelines like this. "Come on mom. You can do it, just take his hand…"_

_Just then Dick's father lost his grip and was being forcefully pulled away by the water, which unfortunately caused his mother's grip to slip and be carried far away by the current. They went under, never to resurface…_

"_NOOOO! MOM! DAD!" Young Dick watched helplessly as his parents were swept away and drowned… _

"So it was Bruce Wayne that saved you…"

"…and adopted me after my parents died."

Dick already told Kory his parents were dead, but he never went into detail, nor did she expect him to. She observed him sitting there, and imagined how he must have looked at that age witnessing such a traumatic event. She would have never guessed that he was the victim such a nightmare…and he shared it with her. To think that she thought he was a snob at one point, she felt so ashamed now at the thought.

"Dick?" she called. He looked at her. "Come here," she coaxed holding her arm out to him as an invite. He stared for a moment before he obliged, embracing her in a warm hug. She swore she heard a small sob from him as he held tightly onto her.

"I'll always be here for you," she whispered, before they lay down together and drifted off to sleep.

--------

When morning came it was much sweeter, the storm had passed and things were calm again. Inside the cave the two young friends were still asleep, Kory was being held in Dick's arms, with her face facing his chest and his cheek resting on her head. It was Kory who woke up first, hearing the sound of seagulls drift in from outside. She yawned and felt the aching urge to stretch, which she did despite the position she was in.

Dick stirred beside her, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He took note of his companion in her upright position, trying to maneuver her head whilst massaging her neck. He placed his hand on her warm back hoping she'll turn her head to look at him. She did, seeing the easy smile emerge on her lips.

"Morning, sorry if I woke you."

"S'alright, besides I'd absolutely hate…" he leaned up to stroke her hair away from her face. "…to miss this beautiful image I have right here."

"Is that the playboy talking," she murmured.

"He's not a morning person…not like me," and he met her lips with his sharing a beautiful kiss, deepening as Dick adjusted himself so he could guide Kory to the ground with him on top.

Kory was only too glad to welcome his seduction, after learning the details of his parent's death it somewhat changed the way she viewed him. She had no idea he _saw_ them die, what a trauma for a child. Although from what she originally gathered from the media, he was a typical playboy…well, perhaps not _that_ typical, she knew plenty of other examples who flaunted that character more than Dick did. They didn't even know true suffering, the real pains of the world outside the riches they were born in, that's why Dick wasn't like them, not completely. Then again, she was born in these riches, so could she understand him? Yes, she decided, but what makes her different that she would even want to try? She hadn't really suffered, except with the loss of her Nana, but that was a long time ago and she managed to live on after that. But with Dick, she really cared for him, not just as a companion, no. There was a lot more to it, something deep, something…

Suddenly she broke the kiss, pushed Dick off of her and sat up.

"What is it?" Dick asked, surprised and disappointed that they had to stop.

_Think Kory, think! What do I tell him?_

"Nothing! Just hungry, is there any chance we could eat?"

He looked at her skeptically, not sure where all this was coming from. "I-I guess…" It wasn't very satisfying ending a make out session so abruptly, nevertheless he let her go. Something wasn't right, he could tell, after all she wasn't a very good liar. Still, he knew he couldn't force it out of her, better to weasel it out when she had her guard down, but for now…_I'll just have to let it go._

----

When they finally left their cave they took a look at what the storm had done to their island. It was a mess.

"I guess now you can't think of your friend Gar as being so untidy after seeing this."

"Nah…I'd say Gar still beats this," Dick said, that got a giggle out of Kory.

She skeptically looked around at their surroundings dreading the task that awaited them. "Sooo, where do we start?"

"I guess we can clear up most of this beach, although I'm not sure how much damage our little oasis suffered. **You** on the other hand," he said looking at Kory, "I don't want you over exerting yourself. You need to relax."

As Dick got to work gathering stray debris to store them for some kind of use later, Kory decided to help out and do it with him. She'd only collected a handful when…"Hey, hey, hey." An over protected Dick had swatted them out of her hand. "What did I say, huh?"

Kory said nothing. Then dropping his own load he placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "I told you to relax. Didn't I say that?"

"So, you do all the work…while I just watch?"

"That's about the size of it, yeah."

"That's not fair. I just sit around and do nothing? That's boring. Why can't I help?"

Dick had to laugh, if only she knew how adorable she was right now. "I'm going to be doing all the work while you get to kick back and enjoy the sun, and you don't think that's fair?"

Kory thought for a minute, then replied, "No, I don't."

Chuckling and shaking his head he touched his forehead to hers and said, "You can stay here close to me. And… since my shirt will be off I'll make sure the sun gets my good side so you have something to look at." She let out a little giggle. "I'm only doing this for your own good, not to make you miserable. You understand, right?"

She gave a quiet 'yes' before he kissed her briefly, as in to seal his victory over the issue.

"Perhaps after I'm done I can…relax with you?"

"We'll see," Kory replied giving a mischievous smirk.

----

Getting around the island was one thing; Dick had successfully made enough trails all over the place. Of course remembering where you were, that was another, for Kory anyway. She had gotten herself lost spending hours circling the trails. Dick had found her of course, but he wasn't happy about her going off on her own without telling him.

"I just wanted to take a walk," was her excuse when she saw Dick was in a mood with her. "I didn't mean to worry you, but I _am_ glad you found me."

And Dick was a sucker for those green eyes, the very ones looking at him filled with hurt like he took away her phone or something. So it was only natural he pull her close and hold her tight to him and sighed into her hair, "How can I stay mad at you?"

Thus leading them to the idea of drawing a map of the island, on the bark of the biggest tree they could find. Kory suggested they rip pieces of the bark and use that like it was paper, and before they knew it they had a map showing north, south, east and west of the island.

"Remember that side of rock formation by the clearing near that our cave?" Kory asked Dick while they were drying off from their morning swim.

"Yeah?" he replied lying next to her.

"Didn't you say we were going to check it out, see what was behind there?"

"You want to do that now?" he replied, not really sounding as enthusiastic.

"Come on! You never know, we might find something amazing."

Dick lazily turned his head to her and stared in thought. He did say they'd have a look and explore there, but what was stopping them from doing it then. Kory was still weak from being out in that storm, and seeing how it was unexplored territory he couldn't risk taking Kory there not knowing whether or not it was safe. But now…

"Dick?"

"Alright, alright. We'll check it out."

----

"I can't believe this is so steep," Kory commented after they'd been trekking for some time. "It's like hiking on the mountains and this is just an island."

"Yeah well, don't be surprised. An island doesn't necessarily have to be flat."

"I know, I'm just saying." She shot back. Dick had been trailing close behind her but then he stopped. "What is it?"

"You see that opening?" He pointed to what looked like a crack at the side of a rock. Kory looked, but it didn't seem all that noticeable. "Try and get a closer look at that."

They advanced forward and eventually found the crack was much bigger than from where they saw it. "Should we go in, do you think it's safe?" Kory asked warily.

"Only one way to find out," Dick said.

"Then you go first," and with that she pushed him in front of her, causing Dick to give her a quizzical look. "What? I'm right behind you, I promise."

Rolling his eyes he stepped forwards deep into the cave. It was quite dark, they had to feel the side the of the cave walls just to guide them. Kory was frightened.

"I don't think there's much in here, let's go back."

"Wait! I see something."

"Where?"

"There, look!" He brought her forward and sure enough Kory could see a hint of light not to far away. They followed it through an opening until…

"Oh my God."

* * *

**See author's lame ass excuses on my profile.**


	11. Someone to bond with

**Someone to bond with**...

There, a rare vision beheld them. Inside was a whole cavern of shiny rocks, rocks that looked like...

"Diamonds?" Kory questioned.

"I...don't know..." Dick wondered, equally surprised as he gazed at the sight before him. The light they emitted bounced off of each other, but their prime source seemed to be from the sunlight streaming in from somewhere above.

"Well, it _is_ beautiful, whatever it is," Kory gasped. "I've never seen anything like it."

As she marveled at the scene before her, Dick had wandered over to the ledge and was peering over to see what was at the bottom. There was no telling how deep it was. Meanwhile Kory had gone over to see what exactly it was they had stumbled on. She'd heard of how fascinating caves could be from her friend Terra. Terra was somewhat similar to Gar as a matter of fact, since they both liked to travel, except Terra seemed to actually live the moment. She would always come back with stories from her travels. Grabbing at a small piece of the shiny rock she attempted to pry it loose, grunting when it required more of her strength, but then letting out her breath when it detached from the cave wall.

"How odd..." As she inspected it more she discovered it was crystal, one she'd never seen before. Her father had once taken her to a museum long ago, and one of the things she got to see were the different types of rocks when looking into how mine workers contributed to American trade way back when. She'd seen all the specimens that were ever uncovered, one of them being crystal. Then there was a whole display of the different types of crystal known to man, all the colors you'd expect to see...except this one.

"This is like those secret hideouts you read about in comics," Dick chuckled. When he heard no response from Kory he looked back at her to see her engrossed in something else. Cautiously he approached her. "Kory? What is it?"

"Look." She showed the rock to him, "Have you ever come across anything like this before?"

Dick stared at it before slowly taking it from Kory's grasp. He turned it over, feeling, rubbing, weighing it in his hands... "It's a multi colored crystal. There's never been anything like that known to exist. We've stumbled on something never before seen. By anyone."

It was extraordinary. A cave hidden on an island, that harbored colorful crystal fragments. Who knew how much currency they'd carry back home. Dick knew that Bruce would kill for a find like this. "A cave full of rainbow crystals, and we found it!" he scoffed.

It was dark when the two of them returned from their discovery. They were back in their hammocks that Dick had made for each of them close by. The stars could sure put on a show Dick noticed, something he remembered that Kory loved. Something which gave him an idea...yes...it would be a _very_ good idea. What he could do is-

"You asleep yet, Dick?"

"Hm?"

Kory stretched and yawned on her hammock. "I asked if you were asleep," she replied still yawning.

"Nah, just thinking."

"About the cave? How rich this makes us?" she chuckled playfully.

"Is that what you were thinking?" he replied in the same tone.

"Actually I wasn't thinking at all."

"Then go to sleep, sweetheart. You sound tired."

Another yawn and stretch. "Alright...I'll see you in the morning."

Before long she was sound asleep. He turned to look at her silhouette in the dark. The fire was still burning keeping them warm, so it should be a warm night for them. Did she know what his life was like before she came? Did she know that without his parents he felt helpless? Did she know that for the first time in a long time, he felt shreds of peace enter his heart?

_"Kory, do you know you're the one?"_

His throat was becoming more and more dry, he needed a drink, and maybe to wash his face. Apparently he forgot to fill up the supply of water he had for them every night. Kory had even reminded him before they went to bed. It didn't matter, he would just go to the main source and get some from there, refilling their very own specially crafted bucket they made out of some materials they'd found. Kory laughed when it was finished, she said it looked something she made in Kindergarten. That comment had sent Dick's imagination back to that time and how cute she must've looked at that age. Would her eyes have sparkled back then as they did now, he wondered.

The water felt cool on his face as he splashed himself down, after slurping up enough to satisfy his thirst. After refilling the 'bucket' he made his way back to bed as quietly as possible. Kory was turned on her side away from his view, mumbling in her sleep. He smiled and ignored it as he placed the bucket down in the middle of where they camped.

"CAN'T...do that..."

It looked like the mumblings were getting louder. Dick looked amused, he liked hearing her subconscious-talk, even if it did sound like babble. He lay in his hammock listening away at her.

"Laugh all you want...they don't care...I like the cherry on the ice cream, like he does...you're a CRAB."

It was hard to muffle his laughter with the way she sounded off. He couldn't wait to tease her about it in the morning.

"Dick...I love you."

He bolted upright. _"What the hell!" _Did he hear right? _"There's no way she said that!"_ Carefully he looked over her to see if she really was asleep or just playing a joke on him. He leant down to get a look at her face since she was still turned on her side, carefully, carefully, closer, almost...

_"NO!"_ Suddenly her arm swung back hitting Dick..._"I CAN'T DO IT!"_...which not only startled him with a yelp but made him tumble back and trip on the bucket and spilling all the water inside.

Kory woke alert and aware, and saw Dick on the floor, holding his sore rump. "Dick? What in the world are you doing?" She scolded.

"Hey don't blame! You're the one who was sleep talking." He was annoyed.

"I DO NOT sleep talk! She countered.

"Yes you do, you wouldn't stop babbling."

"Babbling?"

"Yeah, some of us are trying to sleep you know." Dick didn't mean to take his mood out on her but he was just too frustrated at the moment.

Kory huffed in anger. "Well, if THAT'S how you feel, I think I'll go sleep elsewhere. Good night!" She scrambled out of bed and walked off, without looking back.

_Damn it._

_

* * *

_It was the sound of the morning waves as well as the seagulls that awoke Kory. For a moment she was blissfully unaware of her reasons for having to sleep on a rough surface, away from her usual bed, and the odd mood her companion was in the night before, which abruptly caused to move in the first place. Yes, her mind was free of concern...until someone cleared their throat from behind her. She swiveled her head to see Dick sitting on a long looking rather sheepish.

"Hey."

"Hey," it was a quiet non-welcoming reply, seeing as she was beginning to remember the events of last night, and the mood she was supposed to be in. She turned back around not caring for his company.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Perfectly well as it happens," she replied tartly, of course it was a lie. Kory wished she had had a good night's sleep, but apparently that wasn't so.

Dick sighed. "I felt bad for making you leave last night."

She didn't reply.

"And I think I overacted..."

"And?"

"And I shouldn't have said what I did."

"And?"

He crawled up towards her. "And...I was a real jerk."

"And?"

He was sitting next to her now. "You deserve so much more..."

Kory couldn't contain her giggles. "And?"

He was nuzzling her shoulder..."You're the most beautiful person ever."

Kory could feel his hot breath on her neck, which she found harder and harder to ignore. Her hand moved on its own accord and caressed his arms. "And?"

Dick smiled. He loved the way her body responded to him, even when she was supposed to be upset with him. One night without her and he was a wreck. After Kory left he just couldn't get back to sleep. He went for a walk on the beach to clear his head, only to be writing Kory's name in the sand, first by itself, then alongside his, then adding their last names...until he realized he wasn't any closer to sleep this way. He'd gone in search of her then and spied her not too far off. That was where he passed his night, closer to Kory, but not too close that she would wake up in the middle of the night and see him.

"And I can't live without you." He ended the game with a deep kiss, before adding..."I'm sorry."

Well she had to admit, it was hard to stay mad after all that. Darn! And she didn't feel like giving in just yet. "You absolutely mean it?"

"Absolutely."

She gave a heavy sigh. "Aw, fine! I forgive you." And the moment those words left her she was tackled to the floor and was being rolled over from side to side.

"Can I open my eyes now?"

After they'd made up Dick had wanted to do something for Kory, not because he felt bad for arguing with her, it was an idea he'd been playing with for a while now. A date. If they were anywhere else he'd be taking her out to see a drive-in movie, he'd remembered a place not far from where he lived that allowed you to go and enjoy a nice flick from the comfort of your car. No one had to see what you the other was doing, so it was especially perfect for couples. But, they weren't back home now, were they? So given the circumstances he had to think alternatively and figure out something else for them to do.

However the fact they were on a deserted island didn't stop the young ward from coming up with the most creative way of surprising Kory, hence the blindfold he'd made her wear, and the two of them fumbling through the trees and bushes upto the highest point of a cliff.

"Dick, how much further?" Kory asked, trying to sound too impatient.

With one last grunt he replied, "We're here!"

"So can I open my eyes then?"

"Almost..." She felt being pulled a bit further until... "Alright, now."

As her vision cleared from the rough covered cloth she smiled realizing the effort her ambitious companion had gone to. Noticing the cute rock table complete with stone seats sanded down so they could sit comfortably, Kory approached the scene and observed closely at what her sneaky Dick had been upto. For dinner they were going to be having Fruit and Crab Kabobs with a side of fish, served with the finest choice of fruit drink. Kory couldn't stop smiling, but it didn't end there...

"Look up," was all Dick had said for her to be taken breathless. Being the highest point on the island, it wasn't hard for Kory to get a clearer view of the stars. So speechless was she that she didn't hear him approach her side and whisper in her ear.

"You still like stars, I hope."

"I can't believe you remembered," she shivered.

Dick chuckled, wrapping his arms around from behind. "What? You think I wasn't paying attention? Nah Kory, I knew you'd love this spot when I found it. That's why I saved it, for a special occasion."

Neither had been very hungry that night, but that didn't mean they didn't enjoy their meal. All that seemed to matter that they were together, and that they could be themselves. There was no plastering on fake expressions, there was no worry of hidden paparazzi hiding behind that door, or disguised as that person, no. There was just the two of them, all real to the eye, and that's what made it all authentic. Kory pondered this as she lay in silence beside Dick doing what she always loved, watching the stars.

It was a bit of a hike back, but the couple welcomed it laughing and giggling as he would help her step down a high ledge. By now every touch was heightened by pleasure rippling through their veins, every look sent a thumping rhythm to sound in their chests, so when they got back to their campsite the things just seemed to take their own course. As their lips met their hands clutched at each other, searching and groping for bare flesh.

"Wait." A breathless Dick reluctantly pulled away. "You do realize where this is going, don't you?"

Kory, who panting just as much, had to pause a moment. Looking into his eyes it was obvious for her. She nodded slowly before he grabbed her lips again. Eventually they melted to the floor immersed in each other's passion, unaware of everything else around them. Soon their cries could be heard echoing across the island, drifting over the sound of the waves...

Dick stirred and rolled over, instinctively reaching out for his partner...who was apparently not there. _Must've got up early._ He stretched out on his back before he got up to look for his frisky lover. He couldn't believe what an amazing night they had, never had he enjoyed it with anyone as much as her, how passionately she took to him, how her body submitted to his, it was like they were made for each other. And that's when he had made up his mind, that she was the one. He only wanted herand no one else. But did she feel the same way? _"I love you Dick"_ Could she have really said that? Sure she was sleep talking but it had shocked him to no end. Could they really be on the same level?

It was time to talk to Kory. He would tell her, she would tell him, and they'll live happily ever after...or something like that. _Now just to find her._

Kory was leaned up against a tree staring at the ocean before her, her thoughts running. The night before was magical for her, she wouldn't deny that, but after waking up she needed to be alone to think. She hadn't realized when her relationship with Dick started getting serious, but after what they just did she needed to clarify her thoughts. No doubt he made her happy, but there was something else. Her thoughts drifted back to the day after that storm, when they woke up and kissed...

_"Morning, sorry if I woke you."_

_"S'alright, besides I'd absolutely hate…" he leaned up to stroke her hair away from her face. "…to miss this beautiful image I have right here."_

_"Is that the playboy talking," she murmured._

_"He's not a morning person…not like me," and he met her lips with his sharing a beautiful kiss, deepening as Dick adjusted himself so he could guide Kory to the ground with him on top._

_Kory was only too glad to welcome his seduction, after learning the details of his parent's death it somewhat changed the way she viewed him. She had no idea he saw them die, what a trauma for a child. Although from what she originally gathered from the media, he was a typical playboy…well, perhaps not that typical, she knew plenty of other examples who flaunted that character more than Dick did. They didn't even know true suffering, the real pains of the world outside the riches they were born in, that's why Dick wasn't like them, not completely. Then again, she was born in these riches, so could she understand him? Yes, she decided, but what makes her different that she would even want to try? She hadn't really suffered, except with the loss of her Nana, but that was a long time ago and she managed to live on after that. But with Dick, she really cared for him, not just as a companion, no. There was a lot more to it, something deep, something…_

_Suddenly she broke the kiss, pushed Dick off of her and sat up._

_"What is it?" Dick asked, surprised and disappointed that they had to stop._

_Think Kory, think! What do I tell him?_

_"Nothing! Just hungry, is there any chance we could eat?"_

Something deep. If she felt more, what did it mean for her old life?

"Morning early bird." She was immediately wrapped in a warm embrace and greeted with a kiss on her cheek. It wasn't her first instinct, but she managed to relax into his hold to give a small gesture of acknowledgment.

"So what ya doing here all by yourself."

"Just thinking," she sighed.

"What about?"

"Life I suppose. How it was, how it could be..."

"Life huh? Well, so far life has brought you here, with me." He held her tighter. "What do you think should come next?"

"I don't know."

Dick laughed lightly. "You don't know? What do you mean you don't know."

She craned her head to look at him. "I mean what if this isn't supposed to be. You think this is it? This is where we live the rest of our lives?"

Dick loosened his hold on her giving Kory the freedom to completely face him. "Okay, now you lost me. Are you saying you're not happy here?"

"No. Being with you has been wonderful."

"Then what's the problem? You seemed to have taken to this life pretty well."

Kory sighed and took a few paces away.

"Don't tell me this hasn't been one of the best times for you, Kory."

This wasn't how Dick had planned the conversation to go. She couldn't mean what she was saying. He decided to take control. He closed in on her and grabbed her by the arms turning her around to look him in the eye. "Look. I don't about you but being stranded here on this island has been the best thing that's ever happened to me. And my God Kory, you may have come as the prissy, stuck up little Princess at first, but the more I've gotten to know you the more I'm sure I wanna be with you, and only you. Kory, I love you, and I know you feel the same. Don't you?"

To say she was shocked may be an understatement. She stood her motionless and paralyzed into place.

"Kory?"

"Dick...I..."

He took her by the hands. "Just say it, say how you feel."

Kory wanted to say it oh so badly, but something held her back. _Tell him __something__ Kory._ "But...I'm engaged."

Dick froze a moment before he shoved her away in frustration. "So, that's that how you want it, huh?"

"No, Dick wait!" She ran after him as he paced away trying to catch up.

"I'm not interested Kory." He was disappointed. He knew she couldn't care less about her engagement, so why make him think she did instead of coming clean with her feelings. Why use this as a diversion?

"Well what if they come back?"

He stopped dead in his tracks and turned on her. "I don't believe it. You're still holding on to the hope that they're coming for us."

"But Dick listen!"

"No Kory, _you_ listen! You're willing to give me some lame ass excuse about an engagement you don't even care for, instead of telling me the truth. And on top of that, you're still waiting to be rescued, after all these months? Wake up Kory! There's nobody coming! I thought you'd accepted life here, I THOUGHT THIS MADE YOU HAPPY, THAT I MADE YOU HAPPY!"

"YOU DO!"

"PROVE IT! I know how you feel, I heard you talk in your sleep."

Kory looked at him in bewilderment. "What?"

"All you have to do is admit it to yourself."

Her bewilderment changing to fear she slowly shook her head...and turned her back on him.

"Fine!" Dick strutted away not looking back, leaving Kory breaking down in tears.

"Why can't I do it? Why can't I say it?" she sobbed. She banged her fists hard on the floor and crouched into a ball.

It was almost lunch time, but hunger was far gone. Kory sat on the rocks watching the waves, none too happy. It was a complete revelation that she had been saying things like _that_ in her sleep. She wondered what else she said that Dick had been listening in on. She also wondered what this meant for them. _How on earth could I let things get like this?_ All she had to do was tell him. It wasn't that easy though. She saw that as a big step in their relationship, taking that step was like completely letting go of...well, everything. Sure there were some things she'd rather not go back to, but she did wish she could see her parents, her brother and her sister. Dick was right though, it was silly to still hope for a rescue. But did she want to allow herself to feel even deeper for Dick? She had never met anyone like him, it thrilled to be around him, so much so that her heart would ache whenever he wasn't. But at what cost would she allow her fears to rule her? Dick meant everything to her and she hurt him. It was high time she made a decision. Stay with Dick, or leave the island. She could build a boat, she believed she'd learnt enough being stranded to build a craft of some kind. Maybe that was harsh thinking but Dick wanted to be with her. Could she admit the same?

_Time to stay goodbye, Kory._


	12. Will write name later

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans...yada yad yada

**I had wanted to perfect this chapter and fix a few things here and there, but I thought, screw it, so here, take yer update! Take it so I can sleep at night! Next time, I am so following Kryalla's example of writing my story before hand. Which is what I'm doing with Who Has Time For Love? **

**I was going to delete Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty, but so many of you keep favoriting it. Seriously? That story is embarrassing. I can't bring myself to read it again. It is SO out of character, it looks like something I wrote when I was 15. Mind you I did used to write good ghost stories when I was 15...**

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Kory slinked off of the rock she'd been occupying, somewhat reluctant to find her companion. She didn't want to face him after the mood he stormed off in. He confessed more than any guy probably would in a lifetime, now that was something..._or it could be a sign of the apocalypse._ Nonetheless it was an accomplishment, an accomplishment she hadn't brought herself to do. Why? She knew why, because she was scared. She cursed herself for being a slave to her fear for so long. All she had to do now was hope that her courage didn't fail her when she confronted Dick.

True to her instincts Dick was indeed in their recently discovered cave, sulking more likely. She heard a few light splashes of water every few moments, figuring he must be tossing rocks there. Past the narrow entrance and through the curtain of seaweed hanging overhead, she came through to the open space where she saw Dick's back facing her. He was getting ready to throw another rock when the sound of her clearing her throat echoed into the air. She witnessed his arm pause its launch before retreating back to its original position.

"Hey Dick," came the unenthusiastic voice. Dick made no move to respond to her, so she continued.

"I just thought I'd come and see what you're doing." She twiddled her thumbs, her nerves showing through. "I got a chance to do some thinking, and...you were right. There. I said it. You're right that no one's coming to get us. I accept that, and I've been saying my goodbyes to everyone back home...coming to terms with the fact that I'm not going to see them again." Kory choked back a sob. "And you're right about me being scared too. I'm scared that if I try and enjoy something it'll get taken away from me, or if I let my guard down I'll regret it. I'm scared that if I care too much about someone..." It was at that moment that Kory started to have visions of her Nanna. "I'm scared that if I care too much about someone, I'll get hurt."

Unknown to Kory, Dick had been hanging on every word, from the moment she began, calm and composed, to her now sobbing state. His heart wrenched at the thought, but he still didn't turn around. He realized he needed to listen to everything she said before he should react.

"My Nanna," he heard her continue, "she was the one that understood me most out of everyone. I felt really close to her...and loved. I knew that if I had a problem I could tell her, no matter what it was. Nanna always knew what to say and make everything alright. When she gave me those shoes you ruined, it was the last thing she ever gave me before she...well...passed away."

Well that explains why she freaked out over those shoes.

"Ever since I lost Nanna I've felt like I have no place left, like I don't belong...until now. I've realized something Dick, and it's that no one has ever managed to make me feel the way Nanna did, except you. Maybe it's because I've changed, after all I know I'm not the same girl that left Gotham on that ship, or maybe it's something else, whatever it is, I know one thing, and it's...it's...I love you!"

Dick froze. Could he have heard right?

"I love you, Dick. There. I said it. You can give me all the 'I told you so's' you want, but I don't care. This is me coming clean once and for all."

Kory waited a moment or two in the hopes that her companion will somehow acknowledge what she said, but she saw no indication of him making any move.

"I've abandoned the idea of anyone coming here, you're right about that too She sighed dejectedly and decided that getting the fire ready would take her mind off things, so she went to make her way out, that was until she felt a warm hand on her arm. She was met with Dick's softened eyes looking longingly into hers.

"I knew you weren't scared, you had it in you the whole time."

"So you're not going to tell me I told you so?"

His answer? A soft yet searing kiss, encassed in his warm embrace. "By the way," he said in between before attaching his lips again, "I love you too."

Doctor Jensen tapped his foot silently under the table whilst looking over the medical report of Lou Anne Anders, while said patient sat opposite his desk with Galfore. Galfore had been kind enough to visit regularly during the time Lou Anne had been admitted into psychiatric care on Myan's orders. He would've brought the children along, but was advised against it by Dr Jensen, although they were allowed to speak with her over the phone. He can still remember the pain on the Senator's face when he finally made the decision to have her admitted, the problem his wife was having had gone beyond his control, so he had no choice. Galfore was the only one that knew where the Senator was going, he could only hope it would not be in vain, after all the anguish the family had to endure.

Lou Anne nervously stared at the file in Dr Jensen's hands, waiting for his verdict. Today he would decide whether she was well enough to leave, and she desperately wanted to. She missed her family and couldn't wait to get home.

"Well Lou Anne, it appears that you've made significant progress here during your stay with us. Now, tell me. How do things look to you? Do you still have trouble sleeping at night? Is there still a need to imagine your daughter as a baby and take care of her?"

Lou Anne took a while to ponder for a moment. She glanced at Galfore's warm expression before returning her sight on Dr Jensen. "I...I know that I have a daughter...a daughter who is nineteen. That's how old she was when we took her on that cruise and she..."

Galfore cringed. He knew this would be hard on her, but it was necessary.

"Although I don't get the nightmares anymore. It's almost as if...there's less need to worry about her..."

"Is there a chance we can take her home now doctor?" Galfore cut in just wanting to end this evaluation and leave with Lou Anne.

"Yes, yes. Just give me a moment to write her some prescriptions and you're all set."

The tropical air echoed with joyous laughter as Kory sprinted across the sand excitedly, chancing a look back while trying to get away. Dick had been in hot pursuit of her for playing some practical joke on him that afternoon. It all started when Dick had to go answer the call of nature, leaving Kory with the tools he'd been carving out of wood. And...well...the tree sap just happened to be lying by, and she just happened to spot a sling type piece among the wood...she couldn't resist. Kory snuck behind a bush and as soon as Dick came back...

"Woah!" Dick's hand immediately shot to his neck where he felt this oozy goo running down his back. "What in the..." SPLAT! Another shot, this time on his shoulder. "I know it's you Kor. Come out, come out, wherever you are."

Kory could hardly contain her giggles, she knew it was a matter of time before she'd blow her own cover. She had to make a break for it, but before she did...SPLAT!

This time it was right in the kisser. He heard Kory yelp in laughter and run off. "Oh, you're dead Princess."

Which led to why he was chasing her now.

"You're gonna get it, ya know! I'm gonna have to teach you a lesson." he yelled.

"Only if you can catch me slow poke!" she called back.

He gained on her faster and faster, until he finally grabbed her by the waist, lifting her up and spinning her back. Kory gave an excited yelp and allowed him to 'teach her a lesson.' That was how they were, giggling and laughing. Dick had been trying to pick her up when something caught his eye on the horizon. It looked like...but it couldn't be...it was!

"A boat?" He released Kory and went closer to the water. He had to have been seeing things. Could that really be a boat? A boat that was heading this way? It sure looked like it was.

"It's a boat...Kory, it's a boat! Look, do you see?"

Kory too had realized that someone was coming for them, and she was just as shocked as her companion. "It's...a miracle!" she gasped. "Somebody finally knows we're here, and they're coming!"

"Yeah, they're coming!"

"They're coming!"

"Woo hoo!"

Both of them hugged and danced rejoicing over the first signs of life in months. It was even more surprising to see that it was Bruce Wayne and Myan Anders that were the ones to find them. They called to each other over the distance, Dick and Kory jumping in excitement. However, Kory suddenly realized the ulterior meaning of being rescued. They would have to leave the island, the very place she came to love and enjoy.

"Dick...wait!"

"What is it Kor, can't you see our own dads are coming to save us."

"That's just it. They're taking us away, away from here. Don't you remember how much we loved it here? How much fun we had? How it felt...normal?"

"Well I guess, but..."

"If we go back we're going back to our old lives, the very things we despise so much. But we don't have to go."

"Kory...I..."

"We can stay here, and be happy, just you and me."

Dick nervously rubbed the back of his head.

"So what d'you say?"

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**Oops! Left you with another cliff hanger. I can't help it! It must be all that reading of Kryalla's stories! See Kry? Your cliffies are contagious!**


	13. Chapter 13

The boat had soon reached ashore, Myan practically leaping out of it before it even got there. He grabbed his daughter in his arms showering her with fatherly kisses and loving words. Dick never thought he'd see Bruce so concerned for him when he took him in his embrace. He didn't doubt the man in that sense, it was only that he always kept himself composed and somewhat reserved. Now it was like seeing a different side to him.

Later Bruce would take Dick aside to have a talk with him, leaving Kory and her father to bond.

"You alright, honey?" Myan asked next to her on the boat wrapping his arm around her, to which she nodded silently.

Opposite her sat Dick with his father, but she wouldn't even look at him. He would rather go back to all that is chaotic in Gotham, and after how he gave her a hard time for wanting to be rescued too. No, she would not to give in, no matter how nervous she felt with his eyes on her. How she wished he'd stop that.

-

Half an hour Dick had been sitting in that chair, on that soft, cushiony leather, and it felt like heaven on earth. By God it was _so_ comfortable. He let his bare feet keep in contact with the smooth surface floor. This was all he wanted to do at the moment, just let his senses explore what they will. The smells were strange, so different, yet familiar. His eyes slowly scanned every inch of his surroundings, thinking, wondering, observing. The door was left open by his own will, he preferred it that way. No matter how big the cabin was it wouldn't quell his momentary claustrophobia. Bruce had said he'd be right back with some things, Dick wasn't sure what, but it didn't bother him that he still hadn't returned yet. There was still so much to take in. His eyes rested on a ledger, Bruce's ledger, how little he thought of it, but now he just couldn't stop staring at it. So many memories linked to it, playing in his head one after the other. They weren't anything of much importance, no more than he'd usually care to think, just places he and Bruce went to, or the things they discussed. The more he stared the more his mind conjured the memories. They stopped at the last memory he had...

_Bruce is talking to someone on the deck of the ship, ledger in hand. Both men are standing. The other person laughs at something Bruce says. The waiter comes offers them champagne in flute glasses, but Bruce places his down and opens the ledger. They're both looking at it but there's something else beyond them where their heads are blocking most of the view. From what it appears it's a girl, looking sad and lonely while she gazes out at sea. The waiter comes just as she's about to move her hair out of her face, covering the view. He leaves, and there she is. _

Kory.

She had wanted to stay, it was probably the one place that made her happy. But he couldn't. There was something he had to do first, as much as it went against his judgement. He only hoped Kory would still have enough patience and understanding to talk to him by then.

-

Ryan raced to the foyer in his socks to answer the phone, before he slid right past it crashing into the plants. He hastily got up covered in dirt and trying to blow it out of his mouth reaching for the phone.

"Yeah, hello!"

The noise made Karen rush in to find the plant pots smashed and Ryan hanging on the side table, dirt covering his hair and talking on the phone. She could only roll her eyes at his idiocy.

"This is so awesome! How long?"

"Whose on the phone?" But Ryan just continued.

"Yeah...yeah...alright. So this afternoon? Dad, wait! Is she alright?"

Dad? Since he left he'd only called once to ask about their mother, but now it had been two weeks. Karen immediately tried took the phone from Ryan. "Dad, dad! Is everything ok?"

Ryan scrambled up from the floor to listen in.

_"Yes, we're all fine. Tell your mother, tell her we found Kory and we're bringing her home, alright?"_

"Yeah, yeah, sure! But can we talk to her?"

_"You'll have your chance when you see her this afternoon, she's taking a nap right now. I have to go, we'll see you soon."_

The maids were in the kitchen when they heard the joyful cries echoing in from the hallway, pretty soon followed by the sounds of scampering feet up the stairs. Bewildered as they were as to the cause of this sudden outburst they already had a feeling as to what it might be, and if they were right, then their beloved Miss Kory was coming home.

-

"Would there be anything else for you, sir?"

"No, that'll be all, thank you."

"And for...," he motioned to Kory staring blankly out the window. Myan looked at his daughter, then decided to dismiss the waiter.

"I spoke with your brother and sister, you know. They're very excited to have you back home. I'm sure they'll be wanting to plan some kind of welcome home party for you." His daughter kept her gaze as if he hadn't said a word.

"Kory?" he coaxed, this time placing his hand over hers.

"Hm?" she replied turning her head.

"Are you alright, dear? You've been very quiet."

It wasn't really fair to her father after all this time of searching for her that she not seem appreciative of finally being reunited again, despite the wave of emotions consuming her mind at that moment. She straightened her back and gave a somewhat firm reply.  
"I'm fine, really. I'm just getting used to the idea of...going back, I guess."

She could still picture the way her father had grabbed her earlier, lifting her off the ground in jubilation once he got to shore. The tears of happiness in his eyes at seeing his little girl after so many months. His hands had been shaking as he held her by the shoulders, as if he were afraid she would disappear.

Not to say that she hadn't been happy to see him either, it was a miracle to be found, it really was. However, she would have liked not to have those feelings intermingle with the sourness that dampened her now. She should have known, Dick Grayson was all talk. Then again she supposed she couldn't blame him for changing his mind. After all, seeing both their fathers out of the blue sure was a sight for sore eyes. How astonished they seemed to be when they saw us alive. Her father had asked many questions about their survival, she expected Dick's father was interviewing him just the same somewhere off, when they finally emerged together it had been after quite a while. It also didn't escape Kory's attention how Dick's mood became more...tense after their reunion, not to mention his avoidance of eye contact with her. She guessed it was because of having to decide against staying on the island. She _could_ just let it go. Then again holding a grudge gave her a level of satisfaction she needed to get through the day.

-

The ship docked in around 1:30 pm, where a crowd of reporters and camera crew stood at the edge anticipating their first glimpses of the lost survivors. Police had set up barricades to control the mob for when the passengers would make their way off the ship and into their waiting cars. There would be no press conference with the survivors, however Bruce Wayne was expected to make a few comments shortly after their arrival.

Every camera, I-Phone, smart-phone and what not was glued to the ship for those aggravating minutes since its arrival into port, until finally a door opened and one of the first crew members came out carrying some luggage, followed by two more. Immediately everyone was fixed on that one spot before Kory Anders made her appearance with Myan Anders right behind her. A few seconds more and Bruce Wayne came down the walkway with Dick Grayson in tow. The cameras flashed furiously trying to catch every possible moment of the group. Kory had her eyes shielded with one hand to block the sunlight shining directly at her, walking steadily while holding onto the sides. Dick Grayson kept a passive face, his gaze remaining low with a pair of sunglasses on, keeping a few yards behind his father. Crowds cheered upon seeing the return of their long lost survivors, their collective chants echoing to the skies, continuing long after the voyagers got into their respective cars and left the dock.

-

It was all hugs and more hugs at the Anders estate. Ryan refused to let go of his big sister, that is until he was pried off by Karen who was relieved that she would finally get some time to herself without Ryan and his mission to annoy her into a frenzy. Galfore was at the same time solemn as he joined in the reunion, giving Myan a sympathetic smile as he came down the grand staircase. He had just informed Lou Anne of Kory's arrival, but it wasn't likely she would come down.

"Pardon the interruption, but it is time for tea."

"Thank you, Bailey. Why don't you escort the children into the dining area, Galfore and I will follow in a moment."

Myan gave a big sigh as he took off his jacket. "Oh Galfore, I have to admit, it has been a stressful episode. Honestly, I didn't think there'd be a happy ending, even when we were out searching for her."

"It is very fortunate the family is whole again, and that we can concentrate on healing."

There was a slight pause.

"Thank you Galfore, for coming through in our time of need. You've been most gracious helping with Lou Anne."

"Helping family comes easy to me, there is no question about that, cousin."

"And that is why I trust you above all else. So, can I trust you tell me how she is at the moment?"

"Her progress is coming along nicely, she's adjusting well. We didn't tell her straight away of the news that her daughter was coming home. It was advised we ease her into it slowly. She found out two days after you informed us."

"And how did she take it?"

"She was silent, it is unsure that she has even grasped the reality of the situation. When I asked to come down and meet you both she refused. I think she may still be in denial."

"Hmm, I think it's best I take Kory to her, but later. Galfore, why don't you go and enjoy your tea, I still need to freshen up."

Galfore nodded and left for the dining area where he joined the others chatting away.

-

Her room hadn't changed much, save for a change of sheets perhaps and some small objects on her dresser that may have been moved here and there. She had to admit though, she did miss her bed. And her carpet, and her closet, and her bathroom. As she lay on her bed her mind wandered to her mother. She and her father went to her room to see her for the first time since they got home. Kory had already been filled in on Lou Anne's condition and how it deteriorated after she went missing, and it was no pleasure to hear. Her guilt trip had risen faster than profits on Black Friday. Despite the reassurances that her mother was on the fast road to recovery Kory could hardly recognize her. She looked so frail, and distant. It was even more heartbreaking that she showed little to no reaction when their eyes met for the first time. Her father said it may take a while for her to adjust to reality, and that there was no need to worry, but the shakiness in his voice was not lost on Kory. This had deeply affected him too, she could tell he longed to have his 'best friend' back.

Kory wasn't particularly sleepy when it was time for bed, despite the eventful day it had been. She had just taken a shower and was sitting in front of the dresser brushing her hair leisurely, lost in thought. So when the strange sounds occurred outside her balcony window, she hardly noticed...until she found herself being grabbed from behind and wrestled to the bed. Her muffled screams were useless against the assailant's hand that covered her mouth, as was her struggling, that is until she was forced to look her captor in the eyes.

"Dick?"

"In the flesh, Princess," he smirked cheekily.

It didn't take long for Kory who it was. "You beautiful, glorious, **idiot**!"

"Hey!," he whined as he got up, rubbing his chest where Kory punched him. "What was that for?"

"Shut up!" She pushed him aside as she stood up herself and turned sharply towards him. "You've got a lot of nerve showing your face here."

"I know, I know, I can understand that you're mad. It's just that...I thought it was time to be rational..."

Kory's eyes widened. "Ratio- Are you serious?! You got angry for the **exact**," she threw a cushion at him, "**same**," and another, "**thing!**"

Each time Dick ducked and dodged the cushions, then teddybears, then the pillows...

"Now take it easy Princess."

"Don't you Princess me," she spat while she chased him with her hairbrush. "You realize how stupid you made me look?"

"Come on Kory, it's not like we could stay there forever."

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"

Dick thought this was getting ridiculous, he needed to calm her down right now. He managed to tackle her flailing arms and pin her to the ground.

"Okay," he panted, "now just listen. You have every right to be mad." He felt her struggle again but he held her fast. "AND I'm an idiot."

"And..."

"And insensitive."

"And..."

"And inconsiderate."

"And..."

"And a meanie."

"And..."

"And selfish," he sighed.

"And..."

"How long do I have to go for anyway?"

"You're nowhere near done."

"And every other name and accusation that's running through your mind which I can't be bothered to say but I'll make no objections to it because Kory Anders is always right. Can we just leave it at that?"

Kory gave a dramatic sigh. "Well...oh alright." And before she could say anything more Dick gave her a kiss which melted all her anger away.

"Wait...can you beg like that again so I can catch it on video?" Well, most of her anger.

-

It was a beautiful morning when Kory woke up the next day, considering that interesting, yet relaxing night she had. It was safe to say she got a good's night sleep, especially when lying in the arms of Dick. It was no wonder she was all giddy and gliding from her room down to breakfast. That is until she heard her father mention her name to someone on the phone.

"Yes...I'm very hopeful...the wedding will take place next year, by that time Kory will be more settled, it's not everyday my daughter gets married...agreed...till then..."

It felt like her heart stopped. After all the trouble of getting her back he was still going through with this business arrangement? That means she was going to end up with someone she hardly knew, that means she was going to lose Dick.

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Yeah, yeah, shut up. :p


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